San Francisco 49ers: 49ers Win A Close One In Arizona

Dec 29, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson (9) kicks a 40 yard field goal to win the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

In a game that was essentially meaningless for both teams by halftime, the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals both played hard and turned it into a good game. The 49ers took a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter, but squandered over the course of the game. In the end, two last-minute, clutch field goals by Phil Dawson sealed the win for the 49ers.

The 49ers looked as if they were going to roll over the 10-5 Cardinals at the very beginning of the game. Both the offense and the defense were clicking and after a couple drives and a NaVorro Bowman interception, they found themselves up 17-0. Unfortunately, the 49ers took their foot off the pedal a little bit, and didn’t score again until the fourth quarter, while the Cardinals kept inching closer and closer.

Colin Kaepernick finished the game with 310 yards and two touchdowns. Kaepernick looked great at the start of game, but he slowly regressed as the game went on until he led a drive to set up the game winning field goal. Frank Gore and the rushing offense had a rough day. The Cardinals boast the league’s best run defense, but many people were confident in the 49ers ability to run the ball. Either they underestimated the Cardinals or overrated the 49ers. The 49ers’ leading rusher was rookie Quinton Patton with one carry for only 26 yards. The entire running back corps only gained 22 yards on the ground.

The defense had its second below average game in a row. This is not a streak you want when going into the playoffs. They allowed Carson Palmer to throw 407 yards and two touchdowns on them, while only tallying up one sack. The 49ers head to Green Bay to face Aaron Rodgers next week, so they had better fix what’s wrong with the pass rush and the secondary quickly.

Some might say the 49ers played this lackluster game because they wanted to hold back some things for the playoffs. This could be very true, but it is still alarming to see back to back poor performances from the defense and the offense lay an egg for most of the game. Both the 49ers’ offense and defense has proven that they can be dominate, and they need dominate performances from both sides of the ball for four more games.