In a clash of NFC West titans, one team looked more like a group of boys playing against men. Those on the East Coast who were unable to watch the game because of hurricane Sandy might actually have been better off than those who had access to this snoozer of a game. Unless you are a big 49ers fan and like lopsided wins.
A familiar sight for Cardinal fans was watching their QB John Skelton go to the ground. The 49ers defense simply imposed their will on the Arizona offense. Just ask Early Doucet, who took possibly one of the hardest shots of the year from 49er Safety Dashon Goldson. Aldon Smith accounted for six tackles and two sacks to increase his team-leading total to 7.5 sacks at the halfway point of the season. From one Mizzou Tiger to another, it is refreshing to see his dominance carry over to the professional game. How good was the 49ers defense? They held the Cardinals to a total of 7 yards rushing, which is the lowest single game total since 1953.
Larry Fitzgerald struggled to stay in this one as a few head-first landings on the turf limited his ability in the passing game. The Cardinals completely ignored the running game, which seemed to be one of the few positives going for this Arizona squad. Larod Stephens-Howling touched the ball just eight times for 6 yards. The only score of the game for the Cardinals brought out a chorus of boos in which the offense converted a fourth down before eventually knocking home a 28-yard field goal. The crowd urged Whisenhunt and the Cardinals offense to attempt another fourth down conversion, but to no avail. Skelton’s inability to score in the red zone on a garbage time drive in the fourth summed up the offensive success the Cardinals had all evening. The Arizona Cardinals have became the fourth team in the last five contests that the 49ers have held without a touchdowns
For San Francisco, the “good” Alex Smith came to play tonight and he had one of the best games of his career. Smith only had one pass fall incomplete, going 18/19 while tossing 3 TD’s for 232 yards against a Cardinals defense that came into the game ranked fourth in the league against the pass. Smith’s feat topped the likes of NFL-greats Fran Tarkenton and Craig Morton for the highest completion percentage in a game with at least 15 attempts. He completed 94.7 percent of his passes, and the only incomplete was dropped by Delanie Walker. That’s territory that neither Joe Montana or Steve Young made it to (although Young was close, once going 15 of 16 for 93.7 percent).
Michael Crabtree, the recipient of two red zone TD’s from Smith, was the leading receiver for San Francisco in the ball game. Randy Moss also caught a 47-yard touchdown from Smith to put the Niners up by a score of 24-0 in the third quarter. The running game was the only facet of the 49ers game that under-performed tonight. Frank Gore finished with a mere 55 rushing yards while Kendall Hunter rushed for43 yards himself. Still, 113 yards rushing as a team is respectable although well below their league-leading average of 168 yards per game. Luckily, this was a game where Gore was not needed, and Harbaugh sidelined him late in the game to nurse the ribs that have been bothering him for weeks. The Cardinals did sack Smith four times, which hardly mattered on a night where they were simply overmatched.
The streaky Cardinals (4-4) are struggling to find their identity this season. As we enter the midpoint on the season, Arizona had better figure out before their tough matchup at Lambeau Field against the talented Packers on Sunday. For the 49ers, they enter the bye week in first place in the NFC West with a (6-2) record and will get some much-needed rest. With Seattle facing an improved Viking squad, the second place Cards traveling into Green Bay, and the Rams on a bye week, San Francisco will have their lead cushioned without having to play a snap this weekend. Expect both Seattle and Arizona to drop their contests, which improves San Francisco’s playoff chances, which were high to begin with.
