The 49ers schedule pitted them against the Arizona Cardinals in week 14. This was a battle of teams from the same division since both are bracketed in the NFC West division. The game was a tightly fought contest with the outcome being decided by only two points. Those that bought 49ers tickets really got to see a great show!
The Cardinals had the benefit of the contest being played at home. That helped them overcame the heavily favored 49ers and they won the game with a score of 21-19 via a comeback. The deciding points came from the 78-yard touchdown by Andre Roberts in the fourth quarter.
The outcome was not due to the 49ers committing some bad plays during the game. Rather, the loss was the result of the Cardinals playing excellent defense throughout the contest. And coupled with the absence of Patrick Willis, who is the team’s inside linebacker standout, due to a right hamstring injury, the 49ers suffered in the second half.
Game Highlights By Quarter
1st Quarter
The lone points in this quarter came from a 46-yard field goal drive by David Akers which resulted from 11 plays and 15 yards in 5:16. Other than this, both teams were struggling to even score a touchdown.
2nd Quarter
This was a quarter when plays picked up and points rained from every corner of the field. First, it was Akers 22-yard field goal drive resulting from 4 plays and -1 yard in 0.58. Next came Early Doucet receiving a 60-yard pass from John Skelton for a touchdown. It all came from a single play in 0:11.
Akers scored again from a 27-yard field goal drive that came from 10 plays and 69 yards in 5:12. He then followed it up with the last of his field goals from 22 yards that came from 6 plays and 12 yards in 1:10. This quarter was defiantly action packed and many 49ers tickets holders enjoyed the on field action.
3rd Quarter
The 49ers scored again through the efforts of Frank Gore who completed a 37-yard run resulting from 1 play in 0:09 for a touchdown. But the Cardinals eventually closed the gap with a touchdown of their own which came from the efforts of Larry Fitzgerald, who received a 46-yard pass from John Skelton. The highlight was a result from 6 plays and 80 yards in 3:20.
4th Quarter
This is the period where the Cardinals defense completely shut down the 49ers offense by preventing them from scoring any points. On the other hand, Andre Roberts shredded the 49ers defensive formation by going on to score a touchdown from a 3-yard pass of John Skelton. That effort came from 6 plays and 78 yards in 3:26.
It was very clear that the 49ers were taken out of their comfort zone by the Cardinals defense. This was particularly evident in the 2nd half where the defensive schemes of the Cardinals almost grounded all of the 49ers players from their offense, including Frank Gore. Alex Smith, for instance, could not get his game going after his excellent pinpoint passing in the first half. And the presence of Patrick Willis, who would have provided good pass coverage for the receivers, was obviously missed.
Overall, 49ers tickets holder should feel bad that the 49ers lost because they didn’t played a particularly bad game. They still had the chance to win the contest but their offense could not just get going against the Cardinals, who were playing a very good defensive game. As a result, their 5-game winning streak was broken. Although doubts began to set in since the playoffs is just around the corner, the debacle would only serve as a test for them. They can use this experience as a springboard to achieve greatness in their upcoming games. Make sure you buy your 49ers tickets now to reserve your spot!
