The 49ers (3-7) host the Arizona Cardinals (8-2) at Levi's Stadium for a 1:25 PT kickoff.
Carson Palmer leads the Cardinals' offense. Bruce Arians coaches Arizona. Larry Fitzgerald continues at WR1. Blaine Gabbert starts in place of a benched Colin Kaepernick. Carlos Hyde at lead back.
Carson Palmer and the Cardinals come into Sunday at 8-2 and lead the NFC West. Three-game winning streak. Fitzgerald averages 70 per game. David Johnson the rookie breakout.
The 49ers, at 3-7 with Kaepernick benched and Gabbert installed as the QB1, host the Cardinals. Gabbert's first start of 2015.
Underdog by 9.5 at home. The QB1 change gets thrown into a winnable home matchup against the conference's most-established team.
Week 12 is the late-November NFC West sort. The Cardinals (8-2) lead the division. The Seahawks (5-5) compete in the middle. The 49ers (3-7) sit at the bottom. The Panthers (10-0) lead the NFC. Around the AFC the Patriots (10-0), Bengals (8-2), and Broncos (8-2) lead. The Sunday home game is the kind of week the rebuilding 49ers' QB1 change gets thrown into a winnable home matchup.
Through ten games the 49ers are 3-7 with a -113 point differential. The Cardinals are 8-2 with a +135. Carson Palmer has 22 TDs and 5 INTs through 10 games. Larry Fitzgerald averages 70 receiving per game. Blaine Gabbert makes 1st start of 2015 (Kaepernick benched). Vegas opens the Cardinals as 9.5-point road favorites; total 47.5.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 10-0 | W10 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-5 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 5-5 | L2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-6 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-2 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-4 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3-7 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 2-8 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 5-5 | W3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 5-5 | W2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-6 | W2 |
| Tennessee Titans | 2-8 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 8-2 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5-5 | W4 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-6 | L3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 2-8 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 8-2 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5-5 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 4-6 | L3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3-7 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 5-5 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4-6 | L2 |
| Washington Redskins | 4-6 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-7 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 7-3 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7-3 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-6 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 3-7 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 10-0 | W10 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6-4 | L3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-5 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-6 | L2 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Chandler Catanzaro 26 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Chandler Catanzaro 41 yard field goal | 6-0 |
| 49ers | Phil Dawson 53 yard field goal | 6-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | David Johnson 1 yard rush ( Chandler Catanzaro kick) | 13-3 |
| 49ers | Vance McDonald 8 yard pass from Blaine Gabbert ( Phil Dawson kick) | 13-10 |
| 49ers | Phil Dawson 33 yard field goal | 13-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Carson Palmer 8 yard rush ( Chandler Catanzaro kick failed) | 19-13 |
Carson Palmer threw for 257 yards and a touchdown and the Arizona Cardinals beat the 49ers 19-13 at Levi's Stadium. Larry Fitzgerald caught three for 49. David Johnson ran for 91 and a touchdown. Blaine Gabbert threw for 318 yards and a touchdown in his first 2015 start. Carlos Hyde ran for 24. Quinton Patton caught a TD. The 49ers fell to 3-8.[1][2][3]
Blaine Gabbert threw for 318 yards Sunday afternoon at Levi's Stadium. The Cardinals beat the 49ers 19-13 in the kind of Sunday-afternoon home loss where the new QB1's first start went better than expected and the rebuilding 49ers' season trajectory remained on the kind of pace the preseason had projected.
Gabbert threw a touchdown to Quinton Patton. Anquan Boldin caught five for 81. Carlos Hyde ran for 24. The kind of Sunday-afternoon home game where the rebuild's new offensive identity, with Gabbert as the QB1, produced more than the Kaepernick-era struggles had been.
Carson Palmer threw for 257 yards and a touchdown. David Johnson ran for 91 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals' defense generated three sacks of Gabbert. The kind of Sunday-afternoon home loss to the conference's hottest team where the rebuilding 49ers' new offense produced its second-best yardage day of the year. 3-8 with the Bears on the road next week.
Cardinals 19, 49ers 13. Margin: -6. Eleven-game record: 3-8, -119 differential.
A 19-13 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers fall to 3-8 in Blaine Gabbert's first 2015 start.
How it unfolded
The Cardinals built a 9-3 first-half lead behind a David Johnson rushing touchdown and a Chandler Catanzaro field goal. Phil Dawson kicked a field goal to make it 9-3 at halftime. Gabbert threw a touchdown to Quinton Patton to give the 49ers a 10-9 lead in the third quarter. The Cardinals answered with a Palmer touchdown drive to Michael Floyd. Dawson kicked another field goal to make it 13-16. The Cardinals' defense forced the 49ers to punt on their final possession. Catanzaro added a field goal. Final 19-13.
The turning point
Palmer's third-quarter touchdown drive ending in the throw to Michael Floyd. With the 49ers having taken the lead at 10-9, the answering scoring drive immediately returned the Cardinals to the lead they would not relinquish.
By the numbers
Gabbert 27-of-46 for 318 with one TD in his first 2015 start. Hyde 8 carries for 24. Boldin 5 catches for 81. Patton 4 catches for 60 with a TD. Carson Palmer 25-of-37 for 257 with a TD. Johnson 22 for 91 with a TD.
Personnel watch
Gabbert's first 2015 start producing the kind of stat line that justified his installation as the QB1. The offense produced 318 passing yards. The defense gave up 19 points. The kind of Sunday-afternoon home performance where the rebuilding 49ers' new QB1, in his first start, looked competent against the conference's hottest team.
What it means
3-8 with the Bears on the road next week. The Sunday-afternoon home loss is the kind of close result that, in Gabbert's debut start of 2015, has the rebuild's QB1 conversation actively in motion. Gabbert will start going forward.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Blaine Gabbert | 25/36 | 318 | 1 | 1 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Carson Palmer | 24/40 | 271 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Shaun Draughn | 15 | 51 | 0 | 19 |
| Blaine Gabbert | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Quinton Patton | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| ARI | ||||
| Andre Ellington | 5 | 24 | 0 | 13 |
| David Johnson | 8 | 21 | 1 | 10 |
| Chris Johnson | 12 | 17 | 0 | 6 |
| Carson Palmer | 3 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
| Stepfan Taylor | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Anquan Boldin | 8 | 93 | 0 | 18 |
| Vance McDonald | 6 | 71 | 1 | 20 |
| Blake Bell | 3 | 67 | 0 | 48 |
| Torrey Smith | 2 | 51 | 0 | 41 |
| Shaun Draughn | 5 | 35 | 0 | 12 |
| Quinton Patton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| ARI | ||||
| John Brown | 5 | 99 | 0 | 48 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 10 | 66 | 0 | 11 |
| JJ Nelson | 2 | 53 | 0 | 34 |
| Andre Ellington | 3 | 22 | 0 | 9 |
| Michael Floyd | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Jermaine Gresham | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| David Johnson | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
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