- Final0CAR
ATL10
310
3 - Final1TEN
BUF30
2930
29 - Final2TB
CLE22
722
7 - Final3CHI
DET26
2126
21 - Final OTOT4WSH
STL31
3731
37 - Final5NO
NYG30
730
7 - Final6BAL
PIT31
731
7 - Final7NE
JAC24
2124
21 - Final8IND
HOU24
2724
27 - Final9ARI
SF26
2026
20 - Final10CIN
DEN23
2423
24 - Final11SD
SEA20
1720
17 - Final12MIN
GB7
97
9 - Final13KC
OAK20
920
9 - Final14PHI
DAL23
723
7 - Final15NYJ
MIA13
1013
10
Final
Coverage: FOX
4:05 PM ET, December 24, 2006
Monster Park, San Francisco, CA
Top Performers
Passing: A. Smith (SF) - 190 YDS, 1 INT
Rushing: E. James (ARI) - 29 CAR, 105 YDS
Receiving: L. Fitzgerald (ARI) - 4 REC, 93 YDS, 1 TD
Arizona (4-10) at San Francisco (6-8) Sunday 4:05 pm EST
SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- The San Francisco 49ers stayed alive in the playoff race with a victory over the Seattle Seahawks last week. Now they hope to keep the pressure on the defending NFC champions.
The Niners host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in a battle of NFC West rivals while the Seahawks face the San Diego Chargers, who own the best record in the AFC.
However, the Cardinals have won the last three meetings with the Niners, including a 34-27 victory in the season opener.
Kurt Warner threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns and Larry Fitzgerald caught nine passes for 133 yards.
Of course, the Cardinals have since switched to rookie Matt Leinart, who is 3-7 since taking over as the starter.
The season opener at Arizona was a sign of things to come for Niners running back Frank Gore, who collected 170 yards of total offense and ran for a pair of touchdowns.
A third-round pick in 2005, Gore leads the NFC with 1,491 rushing yards and has 53 catches for 418 yards.
On Tuesday, Gore was named as a Pro Bowl starter ahead of Tiki Barber of the New York Giants and Steven Jackson of St. Louis.
Guard Larry Allen, who signed with San Francisco after being released by Dallas, was named to the Pro Bowl for the 11th time.
Alex Smith threw three touchdowns and ran for another score and Gore rushed for 144 yards in the Niners' 24-14 win at Seattle on December 14, completing a sweep of their NFC West rivals. That would give San Francisco the edge in the tiebreaker for the division title if the teams finish 8-8.
The Cardinals close the season with road games against San Francisco and San Diego. Last week, Leinart threw for 214 yards with no touchdowns and was intercepted twice and sacked three times in a 37-20 loss to Denver.
Arizona had two players selected to the Pro Bowl - wide receiver Anquan Boldin and safety Adrian Wilson. Boldin has 75 catches for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns and Wilson has four interceptions, including one he returned for a score, and four sacks.
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Scouting Report
Smith, Leinart ready to duel
The San Francisco 49ers are holding on to slim playoff hopes. This game features a matchup between two young quarterbacks who have very good arm strength and extremely smart in their positional play. Quarterback Matt Leinart has played very well in his first year as starter for the Cardinals, and shows to have very good poise and presence in the pocket.
QB Alex Smith has shown great improvement in his second year as the 49ers' quarterback. Despite both quarterbacks being young, these two players are poised to be very productive and successful quarterbacks for their respective clubs.
This game also features a very good pair of running backs with Frank Gore for the 49ers and Edgerrin James of the Cardinals. Both of these runners have very good power and vision to set up their blocks and make positive yards, making for an exciting matchup. This game looks to be a battle of which team will be able to establish the run game and how well two young quarterbacks are able to manage their respective offenses.
Recent Blog Posts
Matchup
ARI | SF | |
|---|---|---|
| W-L | 5-10 | 6-9 |
| Avg Points | 19.6 | 18.1 |
| Avg Points Allowed | 24.1 | 25.9 |
| Home Record | 3-5 | 4-4 |
| Road Record | 2-5 | 2-5 |
| Division Record | 4-2 | 3-3 |
| Conference Record | 5-7 | 5-7 |
| Complete Standings | ||
Passing Leaders
| Arizona | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Kolb | 59.6 | 1169 | 8 | 3 |
| J. Skelton | 54.2 | 1132 | 2 | 9 |
| San Francisco | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
| C. Kaepernick | 62.4 | 1814 | 10 | 3 |
| A. Smith | 70.2 | 1737 | 13 | 5 |
Rushing Leaders
| Arizona | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. Stephens-Howling | 110 | 356 | 3.2 | 4 | |
| B. Wells | 88 | 234 | 2.7 | 5 | |
| San Francisco | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| F. Gore | 258 | 1214 | 4.7 | 8 | |
| C. Kaepernick | 63 | 415 | 6.6 | 5 | |
Receiving Leaders
| Arizona | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. Fitzgerald | 71 | 798 | 11.2 | 4 | |
| A. Roberts | 64 | 759 | 11.9 | 5 | |
| San Francisco | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| M. Crabtree | 85 | 1105 | 13.0 | 9 | |
| V. Davis | 41 | 548 | 13.4 | 5 | |
Team Averages & NFL Ranks
| TEAM OFFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | ARI | |
| SF | ||
| Yards Passing | ARI | |
| SF | ||
| Yards Rushing | ARI | |
| SF | ||
| TEAM DEFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
| Yards Allowed | ARI | |
| SF | ||
| Pass Yds Allowed | ARI | |
| SF | ||
| Rush Yds Allowed | ARI | |
| SF |
Head to Head Matchups (Since 2001)
| Series tied 5-5 | |
|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2006 | ARI 34, SF 27 |
| Dec 4, 2005 | ARI 17, @SF 10 |
| Oct 2, 2005 | ARI 31, SF 14 |
| Dec 12, 2004 | ARI 28, SF 31 |
| Oct 10, 2004 | ARI 28, @SF 31 |
| Dec 7, 2003 | ARI 14, @SF 50 |
| Oct 26, 2003 | ARI 16, SF 13 |
| Dec 21, 2002 | ARI 14, SF 17 |
| Oct 27, 2002 | ARI 28, @SF 38 |
