The Cardinals’ hopes in the playoff suffered a significant blow on Saturday, with Arizona falling home to the 49ers by 20-12. The 49ers were led by three touchdown passes from quarterback CJ Beathard, 183 yards from Jeff Wilson and a defense that kept the Cardinals 4 out of 16 in the third down and 1 out of 3 in the red zone.
San Francisco, who had already been eliminated from the postseason, improved to 6-9, avoiding a season sweep at the hands of the Cardinals. Arizona, who is now 8-7 after 5-2, trailed Bears (who will face the Jagaurs on Sunday) in the race to win the final spot in the NFC playoff.
Wilson’s 21-yard catch-and-carry gave San Francisco a 7-6 lead at halftime. After Arizona’s running back, Kenyan Drake, started the fourth period with a one-yard touchdown run, the second touchdown of 49ers tight end Kyle Juszcyzk increased San Francisco’s lead to 20-12 with 8:26 left . 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon ended the Cardinals’ next onslaught by making Kyler Murray’s final pass to Christian Kirk. The San Francisco defense sealed the victory when Murray failed to connect with DeAndre Hopkins in the fourth down with 20 seconds to go.
Why the 49ers won
While they coughed the ball once, the 49ers committed the least amount of turnovers since Week 6. They also forced two turnovers that included Murray in Witherspoon’s end zone. Led by Wilson, the 49ers’ accelerated attack accumulated 227 yards in 30 shipments. His 34-yard carry set up Beathard’s second touchdown pass to Juszcyzk, which gave the 49ers an eight-point lead. George Kittle, who played for the first time since week 8, hit four of five targets in 92 yards, despite playing in a few clicks. His 24-yard reception set Wilson’s touchdown in the first quarter, while his 27-yard reception set up the nine-yard Juszcyzk touchdown reception that gave 49ers a 14-6 lead in the third quarter.
The 49ers survived Robbie Gould’s unstable shooting performance, which missed three shots that included 41 and 37 yard field goal attempts. And while they were only 2 out of 9 on the third down, one such conversion was Jerick McKinnon’s impressive catch-and-carry in a third-to-10 play that prepared Juszczyk’s first touchdown.
Why the cardinals lost
While they were 4 out of 6 on the fourth down, the Cardinals were only 4 out of 16 on the third down. Drake ran for only 45 yards in 18 runs, while the Cardinals were defeated by the 49ers by 227-120. Hopkins, who received 14 passes for 151 yards in Arizona’s victory in Week 1 over the 49ers, recorded just 48 yards in eight receptions on Saturday. Murray, who made 31 from 50 to 247 yards, was fired three times while facing consistent pressure from the 49ers’ rush pass.
Murray was also plagued by his receivers. Losing 7-3 at the end of the first half, tight end Dan Arnold took a deep pass and also made a false start that forced the Cardinals to settle for a field goal. With a 14-6 drop at the end of the third quarter, Arnold’s fumble on the Cardinals ’36-yard line seemed to open the floodgates before the Cardinals’ defense could stop. And while his interception was the by-product of an underthrown pass, Kirk, whose 38-yard touch set up Mike Nugent’s field goal in the first quarter, could have done something to prevent Witherspoon from catching the ball.
Inflection point
After Drake’s touchdown reduced the lead to two points, the 49ers appeared to be on their heels when the Cardinals’ defense forced a San Francisco ball possession. The 49ers made a big stop, however, when linebacker Fred Warner (whose 14 tackles led the two teams) broke Murray’s pass to Hopkins on Wednesday to second on the Cardinals’ yard line. Wilson’s 34-yard run on the next play set Beathard’s one-yard touchdown shot to Juszczyk.
Game play
While he had several impressive runs, Wilson’s touchdown reception gave the 49ers an initial boost. Wilson, who entered the game with just 341 yards, recorded his second 100-yard performance of the season. He now has eight touchdowns this season and five in the 49ers’ last three games.
Quotable
“We are not proud of our track record, but that does not tell the story of who these guys are.” – The 49ers coach, Kyle Shanahan, on his injured team, via Peter Panacy from FanSided
“We have to find a way to take the next step.” – Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury, after his team lost control of the playoff fate, via Kyle Odegard from the Cardinals official website
What is the next
Arizona will travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams, who defeated the Cardinals when the two teams met in Week 13. The 49ers will host the Seahawks, who defeated San Francisco in a shootout in Week 8. Seattle entered Week 16 with a – game advantage over the Rams and a two game advantage over the Cardinals in the NFC West classification.
Check out our live blog below to relive Saturday’s action in real time.