The 49ers (2-8) travel to University of Phoenix Stadium for a 5:15 PT kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals (5-5) on Sunday Night Football, Thanksgiving week.
Kurt Warner starts at quarterback for Arizona. Edgerrin James runs the ball. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin lead the receivers. Trent Dilfer starts again for the 49ers. Frank Gore at running back; Darrell Jackson at receiver.
Sunday Night Football in the desert. The 49ers (2-8) face Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals (5-5), the kind of primetime road game where, even at 2-8, the year's identity tape gets one more national audience.
Trent Dilfer stays the starter. Frank Gore at running back. Darrell Jackson the WR1. The Cardinals come in with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin as the league's most explosive receiving duo. The kind of road game where a 49ers upset would be the year's signature.
Favored by Arizona by 9 at home in primetime. The kind of primetime road game where the box score will define the season's last competitive chapter.
Week 12 Sunday Night Football is the year's late-November showcase. The Cowboys, Packers, Bears, Giants, Saints, and Buccaneers lead the NFC. The Cardinals (5-5) compete in the NFC West with the Seahawks (5-4). The 49ers (2-8) are functionally eliminated. The Sunday-night game is the kind of week where the 49ers, in primetime against a divisional rival, get to write the year's last competitive narrative.
Through ten games the 49ers are 2-8 with a -110 point differential. Trent Dilfer averages 6.5 yards per attempt with one TD and six INTs across his four starts. Frank Gore averages 57 rushing yards a game. Vernon Davis averages 55 receiving yards a game. The defense allows 24.8 points per game. The Cardinals are 5-5 with Kurt Warner averaging 295 passing yards a game and 13 TDs/6 INTs. Edgerrin James averages 70 rushing yards a game. Vegas opens Arizona as 9-point home favorites; total 48.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 10-0 | W10 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-5 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 2-8 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-10 | L10 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-3 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6-4 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4-6 | L4 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-7 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 8-2 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 7-3 | W2 |
| Tennessee Titans | 6-4 | L2 |
| Houston Texans | 5-5 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 5-5 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-5 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-6 | L3 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-8 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-4 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5-5 | -- |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-8 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-8 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-1 | W4 |
| New York Giants | 7-3 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-5 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-5 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 9-1 | W5 |
| Detroit Lions | 6-4 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-6 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4-6 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-4 | W2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 4-6 | L4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-6 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-7 | L1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald 28 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 0-7 |
| 49ers | Vernon Davis 2 yard pass from Trent Dilfer ( Joe Nedney kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 19 yard field goal | 10-7 |
| 49ers | Frank Gore 11 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 17-7 |
| Cardinals | Marcel Shipp 1 yard rush ( Neil Rackers kick) | 17-14 |
| Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald 48 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 17-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Arnaz Battle 57 yard pass from Trent Dilfer ( Joe Nedney kick) | 24-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Ben Patrick 2 yard pass from Tim Rattay ( Neil Rackers kick) | 24-28 |
| 49ers | Frank Gore 35 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 31-28 |
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 19 yard field goal | 31-31 |
| OT | ||
| 49ers | Tully Banta-Cain defensive fumble recovery in end zone | 37-31 |
Trent Dilfer threw two touchdowns to Vernon Davis and Frank Gore ran for 116 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns and the 49ers stunned the Arizona Cardinals 37-31 at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday Night Football. Dilfer finished 25-of-39 for 256. Gore added 98 receiving. Kurt Warner threw for 484 yards and two touchdowns. The 49ers improved to 3-8 in the upset.[1][2][3]
Frank Gore ran for 116 yards and caught for 98 more Sunday night in the desert. The 49ers, at 2-8 entering the game, stunned the Arizona Cardinals 37-31 in the kind of primetime road upset where the year's competitive identity, in its lowest two-game stretch, produced the year's biggest win.
Trent Dilfer threw two touchdowns. Vernon Davis caught one. Kurt Warner threw for 484 yards and two touchdowns but the 49ers' defense produced two interceptions and the kind of late-game stops the team had been failing on all year. The kind of Sunday Night Football game where, against the team's expectation, everything worked.
3-8. The kind of primetime road upset that, at 2-8 entering, gives the year's identity tape something to point at. The Carolina Panthers on the road next Sunday. The kind of November where, even at 3-8, the team's coaching staff has the kind of in-season performance to argue about the back-half identity.
49ers 37, Cardinals 31. Margin: +6. Eleven-game record: 3-8, -104 differential.
* Trent Dilfer: 25-of-39 for 256, 2 TDs, 0 INTs.
* Frank Gore: 21 carries for 116, 2 TDs; 11 catches for 98.
* Vernon Davis: receiving TD.
* Arnaz Battle: receiving production.
* Kurt Warner: 34-of-48 for 484, 2 TDs, 2 INTs.
* Edgerrin James: 17 carries for 78.
* Larry Fitzgerald + Anquan Boldin: 200+ receiving.
* 49ers D: 2 INTs of Warner.
* 49ers 3-8 (upset); Cardinals 5-6.
A 37-31 Sunday Night Football road upset of the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The 49ers improve to 3-8 in the year's signature win.
How it unfolded
The 49ers scored on their opening drive with a Frank Gore touchdown to make it 7-0. The Cardinals answered with a Warner touchdown to tie at 7-7. The 49ers added a Trent Dilfer touchdown to Vernon Davis to make it 14-7. Warner threw a touchdown to push the lead to 14-14. The 49ers added a Joe Nedney field goal to make it 17-14. The second quarter was where the game broke open: a Gore touchdown to make it 24-14, then another touchdown to make it 30-14, then a Cardinals touchdown to make it 30-21 at halftime. The second half was a Gore second TD, an exchange of field goals, and a late Cardinals touchdown that closed it 37-31. The 49ers' defense produced two key interceptions in the second half.
The turning point
The Frank Gore touchdown in the second quarter that pushed the lead to 24-14. With the game still in the balance and Warner about to enter the kind of volume passing he produced all year, the second touchdown gave the 49ers the kind of two-score cushion the defense could close out.
By the numbers
Dilfer 256 passing on 39 attempts with two TDs. Gore 116 rushing on 21 carries with two TDs plus 98 receiving on 11 catches. Davis the TD. Warner 484 passing on 48 attempts with two TDs and two INTs. Edgerrin James 78 rushing. Fitzgerald and Boldin combined for 200+ receiving.
Personnel watch
Frank Gore's career-best multi-touchdown plus 11-catch performance. Trent Dilfer's clean primetime game. Vernon Davis his fourth-straight productive game. Patrick Willis with double-digit tackles and two key plays in coverage. The kind of Sunday Night Football game where everything the team's identity is built around actually worked.
What it means
3-8 with the Panthers on the road next Sunday. The kind of primetime road upset that, in a 2-8 season, gives the year's identity tape the kind of performance that makes the remaining schedule worth watching. The Frank Gore-Trent Dilfer combination produced the year's high-water offensive game.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Trent Dilfer | 25/39 | 256 | 2 | 0 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Kurt Warner | 34/48 | 484 | 2 | 2 | |
| Tim Rattay | 1/1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 21 | 116 | 2 | 35 |
| Trent Dilfer | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Maurice Hicks | 2 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| Michael Robinson | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| ARI | ||||
| Edgerrin James | 17 | 78 | 0 | 9 |
| Marcel Shipp | 5 | 14 | 1 | 5 |
| J.J. Arrington | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 11 | 98 | 0 | 21 |
| Arnaz Battle | 1 | 57 | 1 | 57 |
| Vernon Davis | 6 | 45 | 1 | 26 |
| Darrell Jackson | 5 | 43 | 0 | 10 |
| Michael Robinson | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Delanie Walker | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| ARI | ||||
| Larry Fitzgerald | 9 | 156 | 2 | 48 |
| Bryant Johnson | 5 | 80 | 0 | 30 |
| Sean Morey | 4 | 79 | 0 | 62 |
| Anquan Boldin | 6 | 76 | 0 | 26 |
| Leonard Pope | 2 | 39 | 0 | 31 |
| J.J. Arrington | 5 | 26 | 0 | 9 |
| Ben Patrick | 2 | 19 | 1 | 17 |
| Edgerrin James | 2 | 11 | 0 | 8 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2007 W12 - 49ers at Arizona Cardinals - Game Thread
