The 49ers (1-1) travel to Sun Devil Stadium for a 1:05 PT kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals (1-1), the first NFC West road game of the year.
Jake Plummer is in his third year as the Cardinals' starter under Vince Tobin. Adrian Murrell shares the backfield with David Boston in the slot and Frank Sanders outside. The Cardinals come off a Week 2 win over Philadelphia after losing at home Week 1 to the Eagles.[1][2]
Sunday at Sun Devil Stadium is the kind of late-September road game that, in calendar 1999, beat reporters file as a divisional sense-check. The Cardinals are the team that, two years ago, won the NFC East tiebreaker and made the divisional round. Vince Tobin's defense is still the same; Plummer's offense is still the same. The 49ers' Sunday issue is Young's mobility.
Week 3 has the schedule's first significant divisional road game for the 49ers plus a slate where the early-season tiers are forming. The Vikings are 2-0; the Bucs 2-0; the Falcons 1-1; the Panthers 1-1. The AFC East has the Jets at 2-0 and the Dolphins at 2-0. Around the league the early storyline is Kurt Warner, the Rams' backup who started Week 2 in relief of Trent Green after Green's preseason knee surgery; Warner threw three touchdowns Sunday and the Rams beat Atlanta 35-7.
Through two games the 49ers sit at 1-1 with a minus 31 point differential. Young's Week 2 passing line was his best since the Week 11 1998 win over Carolina. Garner averages 67 rushing yards across the first two and is the team's leading receiver. The Cardinals are 1-1 with Plummer averaging 220 passing per game and Murrell 3.9 a carry. Vegas opens the 49ers as 2-point road favorites. Number to track today: 49ers offensive sacks allowed, sitting at six across the first two games.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2-0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2-0 | -- |
| Tennessee Titans | 2-0 | -- |
| Baltimore Ravens | 0-2 | -- |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-2 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-2 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 2-0 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 2-0 | -- |
| Buffalo Bills | 1-1 | -- |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-1 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-2 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 1-0 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-1 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 1-1 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-1 | -- |
| Denver Broncos | 0-2 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | 1-0 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 1-1 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-1 | -- |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-2 | -- |
| Carolina Panthers | 0-2 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 2-0 | -- |
| Chicago Bears | 1-1 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 1-1 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-1 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-1 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 2-0 | -- |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1-1 | -- |
| New York Giants | 1-1 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 1-1 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-2 | -- |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 13 yard pass from Steve Young ( Wade Richey kick) | 7-0 |
| 49ers | Charlie Garner 11 yard rush ( Wade Richey kick) | 14-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Wade Richey 33 yard field goal | 17-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Mario Bates 1 yard rush ( Chris Jacke kick) | 17-7 |
| Cardinals | Chris Jacke 43 yard field goal | 17-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Lawrence Phillips 68 yard rush ( Wade Richey kick) | 24-10 |
Steve Young threw a 14-yard touchdown to Jerry Rice and Lawrence Phillips ran for 102 yards and a touchdown as the 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals 24-10 at Sun Devil Stadium. Young left the game in the second quarter after a hit by Aeneas Williams and did not return; Jeff Garcia came in and went 5 of 11 for 50 yards. Charlie Garner ran for 75 and a touchdown on 21 carries. Jake Plummer went 16 of 31 for 176 yards with no touchdowns. The 49ers led 17-3 at halftime.[1][2]
Aeneas Williams blitzed off the right edge in the second quarter at Sun Devil Stadium. He hit Steve Young head-on. Young did not return to the game. The 49ers won 24-10 with Jeff Garcia coming in cold off the bench and Lawrence Phillips rushing for 102 on 9 carries. The film of the hit will be the only Sunday football anyone in the building talks about for weeks.
The 49ers entered the second half up 17-3 because the first half offense was working: a Garner short touchdown, a Young touchdown to Rice, a Wade Richey field goal. Garcia came in with the lead and managed it. The defense, off the worst secondary afternoon of the Mariucci tenure last week, held Plummer without a touchdown and produced four sacks. Phillips' second-half rushing line is what kept the lead intact.
49ers 24, Cardinals 10. Margin: plus 14. Record: 2-1, minus 17 differential. • Young: 13-of-23 for 92, 1 TD, 1 INT before exiting on the Aeneas Williams hit. • Garcia: 5-of-11 for 50 in relief. • Phillips: 9 carries for 102, 1 TD (career single-game rushing high). • Garner: 21 carries for 75, 1 TD. • Rice: 3 catches for 28, 1 TD. • Owens: 4 catches for 59. • Plummer: 16-of-31 for 176, 0 TDs. • Defense: 4 sacks of Plummer. • Quarter scoring: SF 7-10-0-7; ARI 3-0-7-0.
A 24-10 road win at Sun Devil Stadium. The 49ers improve to 2-1 but Steve Young leaves with a head injury after the Aeneas Williams hit.
How it unfolded
Garner opened the scoring with a 4-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter to put the 49ers up 7-3 after an Arizona field goal. Young found Rice for a 14-yard touchdown in the second quarter to push the lead to 14-3. A Richey 22-yard field goal made it 17-3. Young exited later in the quarter on the Aeneas Williams blitz. Garcia came in. The 49ers ran the clock with Phillips and Garner in the second half; Phillips broke a 47-yard run in the third quarter that did not produce points. The 49ers' closing touchdown was a Phillips 4-yard rush in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 24-3. Arizona added a closing fourth-quarter touchdown to make the final 24-10.
The turning point
The second-quarter Aeneas Williams blitz. With Young dropping back from the Cardinals 32, Williams beat the right tackle off the edge and hit Young as he was throwing. Young's head hit the ground first. The trainer's box came out. Young did not return.
By the numbers
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 13/23 | 92 | 1 | 1 | |
| Jeff Garcia | 5/6 | 30 | 0 | 0 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Jake Plummer | 16/31 | 176 | 0 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Lawrence Phillips | 9 | 102 | 1 | 68 |
| Charlie Garner | 21 | 75 | 1 | 11 |
| Steve Young #8 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 12 |
| Jeff Garcia | 3 | 9 | 0 | 11 |
| Tommy Vardell | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| ARI | ||||
| Adrian Murrell | 16 | 42 | 0 | 17 |
| Michael Pittman | 6 | 35 | 0 | 15 |
| Jake Plummer | 5 | 20 | 0 | 10 |
| Joel Makovicka | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Mario Bates | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Terrell Owens | 4 | 59 | 0 | 28 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 3 | 28 | 1 | 13 |
| Lawrence Phillips | 3 | 15 | 0 | 10 |
| Tommy Vardell | 2 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| Mark Harris | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| J.J. Stokes | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Charlie Garner | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| ARI | ||||
| Frank Sanders | 7 | 74 | 0 | 17 |
| Andy McCullough | 2 | 43 | 0 | 31 |
| Terry Hardy | 4 | 31 | 0 | 14 |
| Michael Pittman | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Adrian Murrell | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Johnny McWilliams | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1999 W3 - 49ers at Arizona Cardinals - Game Thread
