The 49ers open 2006 at Candlestick Park for a 1:15 PT kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals in the home opener.
Alex Smith starts at quarterback in his second pro year. Frank Gore at running back, taking over as lead back from Kevan Barlow. Antonio Bryant leads the receivers. Vernon Davis is the rookie 6th overall pick out of Maryland at tight end. Mike Nolan begins Year 2 as head coach. Norv Turner takes over as offensive coordinator.
Mike Nolan opens Year 2 Sunday afternoon at Candlestick. Norv Turner takes over as offensive coordinator after the team's coaching reshuffle. The kind of opener where the new offensive system, with Alex Smith in his second year, faces Kurt Warner and a Cardinals team in transition.
Frank Gore is the new lead back. Vernon Davis the rookie 6th overall pick. Antonio Bryant the offseason free-agent signing as the WR1.
Favored by Arizona by 3 on the road. The kind of home opener where a 49ers win would establish the year's new identity.
Opening Sunday opens the NFC West. The Seahawks (defending NFC champs after the Super Bowl XL loss) lead the division. The Rams compete with Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson. The Cardinals start Kurt Warner. The 49ers come off a 4-12 finish. Around the conference the Cowboys, Bears, Giants, and Eagles lead the contender talk. The opener at Candlestick is the kind of home game where Mike Nolan's second year, with Norv Turner's new offense, gets its first read.
Through zero games the 49ers reset to last year's 4-12 finish under Nolan. Alex Smith threw one TD and 11 INTs as a rookie with a 40.8 rating. Kevan Barlow led the rushing in 2005 with 581 yards. Frank Gore averaged 4.8 yards a carry in limited 2005 work. Eric Johnson at tight end. Antonio Bryant the offseason signing. Vernon Davis the rookie. Vegas opens Arizona as 3-point road favorites; total 42.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 0-0 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-0 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 0-0 | -- |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-0 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 0-0 | -- |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-0 | -- |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0-0 | -- |
| Tennessee Titans | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 0-0 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-0 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 0-0 | -- |
| San Diego Chargers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 0-0 | -- |
| St. Louis Rams | 0-0 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-0 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Giants | 0-0 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-0 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 0-0 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 0-0 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-0 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-0 | -- |
| Carolina Panthers | 0-0 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-0 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-0 | -- |
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals - Week 1 | EA Sports' Busy 2006 | Madden NFL 07 (PS2)
49ers vs Cardinals 2006 Week 1
San Fransisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals Sept 10, 2006 Week 1 part1(First Game at Cardinals Stadium)
San Fransisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals Sept 10, 2006 Week1 part2 (First Game at Cardinals Stadium)
September 11 2006 SD Chargers vs Raiders Win 27-0 (Full)Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Vernon Davis 31 yard pass from Alex Smith ( Joe Nedney kick) | 7-0 |
| Cardinals | Troy Walters 2 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 7-7 |
| Cardinals | Edgerrin James 1 yard rush ( Neil Rackers kick) | 7-14 |
| Cardinals | Anquan Boldin 6 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 7-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Frank Gore 4 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 14-21 |
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 36 yard field goal | 14-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Frank Gore 2 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 21-24 |
| Cardinals | Adam Bergen 7 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 21-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 22 yard field goal | 24-31 |
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 30 yard field goal | 24-34 |
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 44 yard field goal | 27-34 |
Kurt Warner threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns and the Arizona Cardinals beat the 49ers 34-27 at Candlestick Park. Alex Smith threw for 288 yards and a touchdown. Frank Gore ran for 87 yards with two touchdowns. Antonio Bryant caught four for 114. Edgerrin James ran for 73 and a touchdown. The 49ers fell to 0-1 in the home opener.[1][2][3]
Kurt Warner went 23-of-37 for 301 yards and three touchdowns Sunday afternoon at Candlestick. The Arizona Cardinals beat the 49ers 34-27 in the kind of home-opener loss where the new Norv Turner offense, with Alex Smith throwing for 288 in his second-year debut, produced enough but the defense did not.
Frank Gore ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Antonio Bryant caught four for 114 in his 49ers debut. Vernon Davis caught a touchdown. Edgerrin James ran for 73 and a touchdown for Arizona. The 49ers' defense surrendered 34 points.
0-1. The kind of opener where the offense produced 27 points in the new Turner system but the defense did not get Warner off the field on the closing drives. The St. Louis Rams on the road next Sunday in the early NFC West sort.
Cardinals 34, 49ers 27. Margin: -7. Season opener.
* Kurt Warner: 23-of-37 for 301, 3 TDs, 0 INTs.
* Edgerrin James: 26 carries for 73, 1 TD.
* Alex Smith: 23-of-40 for 288, 1 TD, 0 INTs.
* Frank Gore: 16 carries for 87, 2 TDs.
* Antonio Bryant: 4 catches for 114.
* Vernon Davis: receiving TD (rookie debut).
* 49ers 0-1; Cardinals 1-0.
A 34-27 home opener loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Candlestick. The 49ers fall to 0-1 in Mike Nolan's second-year opener.
How it unfolded
Arizona scored on its opening drive with a Warner touchdown to make it 7-0. The 49ers answered with a Frank Gore short touchdown to tie at 7-7. The teams traded touchdowns through the first half: Arizona TD, 49ers TD (Gore second), Arizona TD. Halftime 21-21. The third quarter was an Arizona TD to make it 28-21. The 49ers added a Joe Nedney field goal to make it 28-24. Warner threw a third TD to make it 34-24. The 49ers added a Smith touchdown to Vernon Davis to close it 34-27.
The turning point
Warner's third-quarter touchdown that pushed the lead to 28-21. With the 49ers' offense producing in the new Turner system and the game tied at halftime, the Cardinals' answering drive turned the second half into a chase the defense could not catch up to.
By the numbers
Smith 288 passing on 40 attempts with a TD. Gore 87 rushing on 16 carries with two TDs. Bryant 114 receiving on 4 catches. Vernon Davis a TD reception in his NFL debut. Warner 301 on 37 attempts with three TDs. James 73 rushing.
Personnel watch
Vernon Davis in his NFL debut, the rookie sixth overall pick out of Maryland. Frank Gore's two-TD game as the new lead back. Antonio Bryant's 114-yard 49ers debut. Alex Smith's improved Year 2 throwing. The defense surrendering 34 the year's first warning.
What it means
0-1 with the Rams on the road next Sunday. The kind of home opener where the new Turner offense produced and the defense did not. Vernon Davis's TD reception in his debut is the kind of rookie-year arrival the team hoped the sixth overall pick would produce.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Alex Smith | 23/40 | 288 | 1 | 0 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Kurt Warner | 23/37 | 301 | 3 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 16 | 87 | 2 | 32 |
| Bryan Gilmore | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Michael Robinson | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| ARI | ||||
| Edgerrin James | 26 | 73 | 1 | 10 |
| J.J. Arrington | 2 | 11 | 0 | 9 |
| Kurt Warner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Antonio Bryant | 4 | 114 | 0 | 46 |
| Frank Gore | 6 | 83 | 0 | 39 |
| Vernon Davis | 5 | 37 | 1 | 31 |
| Bryan Gilmore | 2 | 19 | 0 | 15 |
| Arnaz Battle | 2 | 17 | 0 | 12 |
| Michael Robinson | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Maurice Hicks | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Eric Johnson | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Chris Hetherington | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ARI | ||||
| Larry Fitzgerald | 9 | 133 | 0 | 28 |
| Anquan Boldin | 4 | 62 | 1 | 19 |
| Bryant Johnson | 2 | 51 | 0 | 39 |
| Adam Bergen | 2 | 18 | 1 | 11 |
| Troy Walters | 2 | 15 | 1 | 13 |
| Edgerrin James | 3 | 13 | 0 | 6 |
| Leonard Pope | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
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