The 49ers (6-8) travel to University of Phoenix Stadium for a 1:15 PT kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals (4-10) on Christmas Eve.
Matt Leinart starts at quarterback for Arizona. Edgerrin James runs the ball. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin lead the receivers. Alex Smith starts for the 49ers; Frank Gore at running back; Antonio Bryant at receiver. Vernon Davis the tight end.
Christmas Eve road game in the desert. The 49ers (6-8) face Matt Leinart and the 4-10 Arizona Cardinals in the kind of division road game where the year's competitive arc, off Thursday's home win over Seattle, gets to keep building the late-season identity tape.
Alex Smith stays the starter. Frank Gore the lead back, within reach of the team's single-season rushing record. Antonio Bryant the WR1. The Cardinals come in with Matt Leinart at quarterback (the rookie 10th overall pick) and Edgerrin James as the lead back.
Favored by 3 on the road. The kind of road game where 7-8 keeps the year's identity tape on the right note.
Week 16 across the NFC sees the playoff field nearly set. The Bears (12-2), Saints, Cowboys, Eagles, Falcons, Giants, and Seahawks compete for division titles and wild-card spots. The 49ers (6-8) are functionally eliminated from the wild-card race. The Sunday Christmas Eve road game is the kind of week where, against a 4-10 Cardinals team, the 49ers can produce a winnable opportunity. The kind of week where the year's identity tape, with two games remaining, still has a credible second-half story to tell.
Through fourteen games the 49ers are 6-8 with a -111 point differential. Alex Smith averages 6.7 yards per attempt with 15 TDs and 14 INTs. Frank Gore averages 103 rushing yards a game (team-record pace; 1,448 yards through 14 games) with five TDs. Antonio Bryant averages 60 receiving yards a game with four TDs. The defense allows 25.7 points per game. The Cardinals are 4-10 with Matt Leinart as the rookie starter. Edgerrin James averages 75 rushing yards a game. Vegas opens the 49ers as 3-point road favorites; total 41.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 10-4 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 8-6 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-7 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-8 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 11-3 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-6 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-7 | W3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 11-3 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-6 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 7-7 | W5 |
| Houston Texans | 4-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 12-2 | W8 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-6 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7-7 | L3 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-12 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-6 | L2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 6-8 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6-8 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-10 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-5 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 8-6 | W3 |
| New York Giants | 7-7 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-9 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 12-2 | W3 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6-8 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-8 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-12 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 9-5 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-7 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6-8 | L4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-11 | L4 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 49 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 25 yard field goal | 3-3 |
| Cardinals | Marcel Shipp 5 yard rush ( Neil Rackers kick) | 10-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald 6 yard pass from Matt Leinart ( Neil Rackers kick) | 17-3 |
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 39 yard field goal | 20-3 |
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 32 yard field goal | 20-6 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Frank Gore 2 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 20-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 37 yard field goal | 23-13 |
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 32 yard field goal | 26-13 |
| 49ers | Frank Gore 1 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 26-20 |
Matt Leinart threw a touchdown pass and the Arizona Cardinals beat the 49ers 26-20 at University of Phoenix Stadium. Edgerrin James ran for 105 yards. Frank Gore ran for 51 with two touchdowns. Alex Smith threw for 190 yards and an interception. Vernon Davis caught four for 91. The 49ers fell to 6-9 with the Christmas Eve road loss.[1][2][3]
Edgerrin James ran for 105 yards and Matt Leinart threw a touchdown Sunday afternoon at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Arizona Cardinals beat the 49ers 26-20 in the kind of Christmas Eve division road loss where the rookie Cardinals quarterback's first NFL win came against a 49ers team that had been looking for the kind of credible second-half identity its 6-8 record was promising.
Frank Gore ran for 51 and scored two touchdowns. Alex Smith threw for 190 with an interception. Vernon Davis caught four for 91. Antonio Bryant caught two for 53. The defense surrendered 26 to a Cardinals offense that had been the league's most middling.
6-9. The kind of road loss that ends the season's competitive arc at .500-or-below territory. The Denver Broncos at home next Sunday for the season finale on New Year's Eve. The kind of December where the year's identity tape, with Frank Gore still on team-record pace, has one more game to write.
Cardinals 26, 49ers 20. Margin: -6. Fifteen-game record: 6-9, -117 differential.
* Matt Leinart: 9-of-13 for 162, 1 TD, 0 INTs.
* Edgerrin James: 29 carries for 105.
* Larry Fitzgerald: receiving production.
* Alex Smith: 18-of-29 for 190, 0 TDs, 1 INT.
* Frank Gore: 11 carries for 51, 2 TDs.
* Vernon Davis: 4 catches for 91.
* Antonio Bryant: 2 catches for 53.
* 49ers 6-9; Cardinals 5-10.
A 26-20 division road loss at University of Phoenix Stadium on Christmas Eve. The 49ers fall to 6-9.
How it unfolded
The Cardinals kicked a field goal on their opening drive. The 49ers answered with a Joe Nedney field goal to tie at 3-3. Arizona added an Edgerrin James touchdown to make it 10-3. The 49ers added a Frank Gore short touchdown run to tie at 10-10. The Cardinals added another field goal in the second quarter. The third quarter was a Matt Leinart touchdown to make it 20-10. The 49ers added a Frank Gore second touchdown to make it 20-17. The Cardinals added field goals to push the lead to 26-17, then Gore scored a fourth-quarter run to close it 26-20.
The turning point
Matt Leinart's third-quarter touchdown. With the score tied 10-10 and the rookie quarterback looking for his first career-defining moment, the touchdown drive gave the Cardinals the lead they used to manage the rest of the game with field goals.
By the numbers
Smith 190 passing on 29 attempts with no TDs and an INT. Gore 51 rushing on 11 carries with two TDs. Vernon Davis 91 receiving on 4 catches. Bryant 53 receiving on 2 catches. Leinart 162 passing on 13 attempts with a TD. Edgerrin James 105 rushing on 29 carries.
Personnel watch
Vernon Davis's productive game (4 catches for 91). Frank Gore's two short touchdown runs. The kind of road loss where the 49ers' rookie-quarterback opposition produced the kind of competitive game that ended the year's competitive arc. Matt Leinart's first career road win against the 49ers.
What it means
6-9 with the Broncos at home next Sunday for the season finale on New Year's Eve. The kind of Christmas Eve road loss that, against a 4-10 opponent, was the kind of result the year's actual identity has been producing. Frank Gore's team-record rushing chase continues into the finale.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Alex Smith | 18/29 | 190 | 0 | 1 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Matt Leinart | 9/13 | 162 | 1 | 0 | |
| Kurt Warner | 9/13 | 105 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 11 | 51 | 2 | 15 |
| Maurice Hicks | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| ARI | ||||
| Edgerrin James | 29 | 105 | 0 | 11 |
| Marcel Shipp | 5 | 13 | 1 | 5 |
| Obafemi Ayanbadejo | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| J.J. Arrington | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Kurt Warner | 5 | -2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Vernon Davis | 4 | 91 | 0 | 44 |
| Arnaz Battle | 7 | 55 | 0 | 15 |
| Frank Gore | 6 | 35 | 0 | 14 |
| Taylor Jacobs | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| ARI | ||||
| Larry Fitzgerald | 4 | 93 | 1 | 57 |
| Anquan Boldin | 4 | 64 | 0 | 23 |
| Bryant Johnson | 4 | 53 | 0 | 39 |
| J.J. Arrington | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Fred Wakefield | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Obafemi Ayanbadejo | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Marcel Shipp | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Leonard Pope | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Edgerrin James | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2006 W16 - 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals - Game Thread
