Team Grades: Despite Little To Play For, 49ers Look Impressive In Win Over Cardinals
By Jerrell Richardson
San Francisco entered the final weekend of the regular season undermanned and mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Their opponent, the Arizona Cardinals were also dealing with injuries, none bigger than at the quarterback position, but they had plenty to play for. Despite the stakes, it was the 49ers who outplayed the playoff bound Cardinals, earning a 20-17 victory, all while avoiding a losing season, and if nothing else, give the team something positive to take into the offseason.
Offense: B
What a difference a running game makes. With Frank Gore eyeing history, and perhaps in his final game as a 49er, the team’s all-time leading rusher went out with a bang. Gore had 25 carries for 144 yards and helped lead a dominant day on the ground for San Francisco. Colin Kaepernick added 63 yards to bring the team total to 33 rushes for 206 yards, which works out to a very impressive 6.2 per rush average. The running game took pressure off the arm of Kaepernick, which was effective in providing balance to the offensive game plan.
Although he played well, Kaepernick numbers are a bit misleading. He attempted 26 passes, completing 15 of them for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, 76 of these yards came on one play of the opening drive, on a blown coverage by the Cardinals secondary. Boldin, who was the recipient of this play, had just one more catch, while Michael Crabtree had a team high 4 catches. Kaepernick did a good job doing what was needed and what the defense gave him. With the running game clicking he simply needed to avoid a big mistake, which he did for the most part, and not force the ball, which he didn’t, completing passes to 8 different receivers on the afternoon.
The offense gained 395 total yards and was balanced. They earned 9 first downs passing the ball and 8 running it. They had no turnovers and was a decent 5-12 on 3rd down. Not bad against a Cardinals defense that is one of the best in the league.
Defense: B
The 49er defense had the luxury of playing against Ryan Lindley, but this proved harder than expected. Part of it had to do with the score, part of it had to do with the fact that San Francisco were without the majority of their starting secondary, and part of it was the Cardinals wanting to see what Lindley can do, but the backup quarterback threw the ball a lot. Lindley did not play bad, but made several mistakes that did not help his team’s efforts. He threw 39 times, completing 23 of his attempts for 316 yards and 2 touchdowns. However he also threw 3 interceptions, and got away with a few others.
As a team, Arizona gained 98 yards on the ground. Kerwynn Williams was responsible for 67 of these yards, but it was clear from the opening drive, that the Cardinals were going to lean on the passing game to get them a win; and it almost worked.
With several starters out, it’s not a surprise that it’s a bevy of backups that lead the 49ers defensive charge, namely Craig Dahl. The backup safety had a team high 10 tackles and sealed the game with a late interception. Backup Linebacker Michael Wilhoite added 9 tackles and also had a pick, while Dontae Johnson and Nick Moody both chipped in 6 tackles a piece.
Arizona had success moving the ball, and had the ball late with a chance to win the game, but the San Francisco defense held strong. Add to that, the sheer number of starters not playing, and this was an impressive performance for a 49er defense that has been solid all season.
Special Teams: B+
In limited action, the special teams still added to the victory. Phil Dawson connected on kicks from 53 and 37 yards, which both are obviously important in such a close game. Andy Lee punted the ball 4 times and averaged right under 50 yards per attempt (49.0), and the return game also provided a spark. The newly signed Trindon Holliday on 3 returns racked up 83 return yards and helped the field position battle.
Sill A Big Win
It helped that the Cardinals had a backup at the quarterback position, but they have been dealing with this all season, and have continued to win games, so this is not really an excuse. The bottom line is that the 49ers beat their playoff bound division rival, and did so without a lot of their key players on the field. While their season is over, there is plenty to look at from this game, and it’s a fair conclusion that the 49ers are still better than Arizona, and next year will be confident that they can battle Seattle for division supremacy.
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Jerrell Richardson is a Bay Area native who due to a college career at San Diego State University has grown an appreciation for all things sports related in California. His heart will always remain in San Francisco though where he currently resides and covers everything from the San Francisco 49ers and Giants to the San Jose Sharks and California Bears Baseball team. Jerrell is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
