The San Francisco 49ers rode their defense all game long, forcing Arizona Cardinals turnovers and a John Skelton benching in a pretty dominant 23-7 victory. It took them awhile to get going on offense, as David Akers had two field goals blocked and missed another one. Nevertheless, the 49ers led 9-0 at the half behind three more Akers attempts and blew it open with two touchdowns in the third quarter
The 49ers forced five turnovers--three interceptions from the Cardinals QB, and two fumbles as well. San Francisco turned three of those turnovers into two field goals and a touchdown. Arizona had 10 yards of offense in the first quarter, 47 in the first half and 65 yards overall through the first eight Cardinals drives. Skelton completed 31% of their passes and was replaced by Richard Bartel with the Niners up 23-0.
The Niners didn't have a great game offensively, but they did churn out the yards. Frank Gore put out 88 yards on 24 carries, Anthony Dixon managed 32 yards on seven carries, and Kendall Hunter also had 27 yards in support. Alex Smith completed only 52.6% of his passes, but did manage seven yards per attempt and 267 passing yards overall, including two touchdown connections to Vernon Davis and Kyle Williams on the two decisive third quarter drives.
To discuss the game with 49ers fans, head to Niners Nation. To discuss the game with Cardinals fans, check out Revenge of the Birds.