Career highs were something of a theme for the 49ers in their Week 16 victory over the Cardinals. Several players had their best games in a single game or set new career records during the 20-12 victory in San Francisco.
Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. led a strong day for the 49ers’ fast-paced attack. He had 22 running attempts for 183 yards, his career record. His best previous performance was his 112-yard performance against the Patriots in Week 7.
Quarterback CJ Beathard was not prolific in the air against the Cardinals. He completed 13 of his 22 shots for 182 yards, but managed to produce the three best touchdown passes of his career. He had already done two touchdowns four times. It was the first time that he had made several touchdowns in a game without interception.
Two of the San Francisco touchdowns were through the fullback Kyle Juszczyk. His pair of touchdown receptions marked the first time in his eight-year career that he had a multi-touchdown game. Juszczyk also set a career record for touchdowns in a season with six, which eclipsed his previous record of five in 2015.
Linebacker Fred Warner also played a great game, including a big pass break on the fourth descent in the fourth period to prevent an attempt by the Cardinals to return. Warner ended up getting credit for three past breaches. This clears his previous two high he once did in each of the first two seasons.
San Francisco had three sacks as a team, and each set a new career record for the player who registered it. Kerry Hyder Jr. had one to give him 8.5 for the season. This exceeds the 8.0 he posted in the 2016 season.
K’Waun Williams fired at the curve to take down Cardinals QB Kyler Murray. It was his second sack of the season, and 2020 was the first time Williams had more than one sack in a year.
Defensive tackle DJ Jones flew through the Cardinals’ offensive line for his third sack of the year. This clears the 2.0 high he set a season ago.
Although it was a disappointing year for the 49ers, some of the club’s individual performances offered good qualities and helped them stay competitive in a year when nothing went right.