The Cardinals (8-7) no longer control their own destiny in the NFC playoff race; if the Chicago Bears (7-7) win their last two games, they will reach the playoffs due to a tiebreaker over Arizona
Last updated: 27/12/20 1:12 am
George Kittle and Jeff Wilson mark the latter’s lap as the 49ers win a road win in Arizona
Third-quarterback CJ Beathard threw a three-pass touchdown pass and Jeff Wilson ran for 183 yards while the San Francisco 49ers dealt a blow to Arizona Cardinals playoff hopes with a 20-12 road win Saturday.
Beathard was making his first start from 2018 and before that he had a 1-9 record as a starting QB in the NFL, but the 27-year-old was effective, if not surprisingly, as he finished 13 of 22 passes for 182 yards and those. three TDs.
- 49ers passing: CJ Beathard, 13/22, 182 yards, 3 TDs
- Rush Head: Jeff Wilson Jr., 22 carries, 183 yards
- Head gets: George Kittle, four catches, 92 yards
Wilson won the hard yards for the 49ers on the ground, while the San Francisco defense was impressive in limiting fourth-place offense in the league to just 12 points.
The 49ers, up by just one score, came up with two major defensive stops late in the fourth quarter, including Kyler Murray’s Ahkello Witherspoon interception in the endzone.
The Cardinals (8-7) are no longer in control of their own destiny in the playoff race. If the Chicago Bears (7-7) win their last two games, they will reach the playoffs because of a tiebreaker over the Cardinals.
- Cardinals passing: Kyler Murray, 31/50, 247 yards, 1 INT
- Rush Chief: Kyler Murray, eight carries, 75 yards
- Head gets: Christian Kirk, seven catches, 76 yards
Arizona started the day in its position as the No. 7 team and last in the NFC playoff field, but the game was a struggle from the start.
The Cardinals had a promising enough opening trip but went down in the redfield and ended up settling for a 3-0 lead after a 27-yard field goal by Mike Nugent. It was a common theme for Arizona, who moved the ball in spurts, but couldn’t hit enough big plays down the floor.
San Francisco led 7-3 late in the first quarter on a 21-yard pass from Beathard to Wilson and the 49ers took a 7-6 lead at half-time after Nugent fired through a second FG for Arizona.
The 49ers drew 14-6 in the third quarter on a nine-yard pass from Beathard to Kyle Juszczyk, the first of two full-back touchdowns.
Arizona got the same as proving to be their only watchdog early in the fourth quarter when Kenyan Drake jumped on top of a pile and stretched his arm slightly above the goal line for a one-yard score. Murray was unable to connect with DeAndre Hopkins on the two-point turn so the 49ers held the lead 14-12.
The Cardinals’ next offensive driver came to a stop at their own 35-yard line when they went for him on a quarter and two. Another effort from Murray-to-Hopkins fell indefinitely and the 49ers took over the reduction.
A couple of plays later, Juszczyk caught his second TD, this one on a one-yard throw from Beathard off a play action with eight and a half minutes left in the contest.
After the tour, Robbie Gould of San Francisco lost by an extra point effort, keeping it a one-game win at 20-12. He missed a 37-yard field goal attempt with a minute left – his third failure of the day – but the 49ers overcame those errors and held on for the win.
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