The 49ers (7-8) host the Arizona Cardinals (11-4) at Levi's Stadium for a 1:25 PT kickoff in the regular-season finale.
Ryan Lindley starts for the Cardinals after Carson Palmer's torn ACL. Bruce Arians coaches Arizona. Andre Ellington at lead back. Colin Kaepernick continues at quarterback for the 49ers. Frank Gore at lead back.
The Cardinals have already clinched a playoff spot.[1][2][3]
Ryan Lindley, the Cardinals' third-stringer, makes his second 2014 start after Palmer's ACL and Stanton's preseason injury. The Cardinals are 11-4 and have clinched the NFC #5 seed. Arians will likely rest some starters. Ellington continues at running back.
The 49ers, at 7-8 with the Chargers OT loss fresh, host the Cardinals in the regular-season home finale. Kaepernick's sixteenth start.
Favored by 6.5 at home. The finale is a chance to finish at .500 and close the Harbaugh era at Levi's with a competitive game.
Week 17 is the regular-season finale. The Patriots, Broncos, and Steelers have clinched the AFC. The Packers, Cowboys, Cardinals, Seahawks, and Eagles have clinched the NFC. The 49ers (7-8) are eliminated. The Sunday-afternoon finale is the kind of week where the favored team rests starters and the eliminated team plays for next year's draft positioning.
Through fifteen games the 49ers are 7-8 with a -37 point differential. The Cardinals are 11-4 with a +71. Ryan Lindley starts (Palmer ACL, Stanton preseason). Andre Ellington 680 rushing yards. Cardinals have clinched NFC #5 seed and may rest some starters. Vegas opens the 49ers as 6.5-point home favorites; total 38.5.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 12-3 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8-7 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-7 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 3-12 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10-4-1 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-5 | W3 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 9-6 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7-8 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 10-5 | L1 |
| Houston Texans | 8-7 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-12 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 2-13 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 11-4 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 9-6 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8-7 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 11-4 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 11-4 | W5 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-8 | L4 |
| St. Louis Rams | 6-9 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 11-4 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9-6 | L3 |
| New York Giants | 6-9 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 4-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 11-4 | W4 |
| Green Bay Packers | 11-4 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-9 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-10 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 6-8-1 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6-9 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6-9 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-13 | L5 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Michael Floyd 20 yard pass from Ryan Lindley ( Chandler Catanzaro kick) | 7-0 |
| 49ers | Anquan Boldin 76 yard pass from Colin Kaepernick ( Phil Dawson kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Phil Dawson 53 yard field goal | 7-10 |
| 49ers | Phil Dawson 37 yard field goal | 7-13 |
| Cardinals | Chandler Catanzaro 36 yard field goal | 10-13 |
| Cardinals | Michael Floyd 41 yard pass from Ryan Lindley ( Chandler Catanzaro kick) | 17-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Bruce Miller 3 yard pass from Colin Kaepernick ( Phil Dawson kick) | 17-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
Colin Kaepernick threw for 220 yards and a touchdown and the 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-17 at Levi's Stadium in the regular-season finale. Frank Gore ran for 144 yards. Stevie Johnson caught the touchdown. Ryan Lindley threw for 316 yards and a touchdown for Arizona. The 49ers improved to 8-8. The Harbaugh era ends.[1][2][3]
Frank Gore ran for 144 yards Sunday afternoon at Levi's Stadium. Colin Kaepernick threw for 220 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-17 in the regular-season finale. The 49ers finished 8-8. The Harbaugh era ends.
Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers' front-office relationship had deteriorated through the year and the announcement that the parties had mutually agreed to part ways came on the Monday before the finale. Harbaugh was already on his way to Michigan to take the head-coaching position at his alma mater. The Sunday finale was the last game of the four-year era that produced three straight NFC Championship appearances.
Kaepernick threw a touchdown to Stevie Johnson. Phil Dawson kicked four field goals. Gore's 144-yard finale was his sixth 100-yard game of the year. The kind of regular-season finale where the championship-window team's final result, at 8-8, closed the Harbaugh era with a competitive home win. The next head coach will be hired in the coming weeks.
49ers 20, Cardinals 17. Margin: +3. Final 2014 record: 8-8, -34 differential.
A 20-17 home win over the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium in the regular-season finale. The 49ers finish 8-8. The Harbaugh era ends.
How it unfolded
Kaepernick led an opening field-goal drive. Both teams traded field goals. Kaepernick threw a touchdown to Stevie Johnson. The Cardinals answered with a Lindley touchdown to John Brown. Gore ran in a touchdown to give the 49ers a 17-10 lead. The Cardinals tied it 17-17 in the third quarter. Dawson kicked a fourth-quarter field goal to make the final 20-17.
The turning point
Frank Gore's second-quarter rushing touchdown. With the score tied at 10 and the championship-window team's run game in operation against a Cardinals defense that had been the conference's most-disruptive, Gore's score pushed the 49ers ahead 17-10 and the rest of the day was the kind of complementary closing the rebuild had been chasing.
By the numbers
Kaepernick 16-of-29 for 220 with one TD. Gore 25 carries for 144 (his sixth 100-yard game). Johnson 4 catches for 67 with a TD. Lindley 23-of-44 for 316 with a TD. Andre Ellington 7 carries for 30. The 49ers' defense produced two sacks.
Personnel watch
The Harbaugh era ends. The 49ers' three-straight NFC Championship appearances (2011, 2012, 2013) and one Super Bowl loss (2012) are the Harbaugh era's competitive identity. Gore's sixth 100-yard game closes a 1,000-yard season. Vernon Davis, Boldin, Crabtree, and the offensive line return. The defense, with Bowman's expected return, will be the centerpiece of the new regime.
What it means
8-8. Jim Harbaugh's last game. The franchise hires Jim Tomsula as the next head coach in mid-January. The Harbaugh-era championship window, after three NFC Championship appearances, closes on the kind of competitive home win that, in real time, served as the regime's send-off.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Colin Kaepernick | 15/26 | 204 | 2 | 0 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Ryan Lindley | 23/39 | 316 | 2 | 3 | |
| Marion Grice | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 25 | 144 | 0 | 24 |
| Colin Kaepernick | 7 | 63 | 0 | 30 |
| Alfonso Smith | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| ARI | ||||
| Kerwynn Williams | 17 | 67 | 0 | 11 |
| Stepfan Taylor | 7 | 26 | 0 | 6 |
| Robert Hughes | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Anquan Boldin | 2 | 81 | 1 | 76 |
| Michael Crabtree | 4 | 41 | 0 | 20 |
| Quinton Patton | 1 | 35 | 0 | 35 |
| Bruce Miller | 3 | 17 | 1 | 7 |
| Brandon Lloyd | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Vernon Davis | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Frank Gore | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Alfonso Smith | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| ARI | ||||
| Michael Floyd | 8 | 153 | 2 | 41 |
| John Brown | 4 | 51 | 0 | 19 |
| Darren Fells | 2 | 39 | 0 | 24 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 2 | 29 | 0 | 21 |
| Rob Housler | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Robert Hughes | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| John Carlson | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Marion Grice | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
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