49ers defense keeps slim playoff hopes alive

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, right, is brought down and sacked by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith, left, during the first quarter of their NFL football game in San Francisco, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009.
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

After Monday's win over the Cardinals, there was a lot of pride in the locker room in what kind of talent the team had in their seven forced turnovers.

“That was the thing that we talked about all week," said head coach Mike Singletary after the game. "It’s just going out and let’s just see how good we can be without killing ourselves in the process. I think, with the exception of the couple of turnovers that we had, I think we came out and did that for the most part.”

One of the stars of the game was safety Dashon Goldson. In his first season as a starter, Goldson displayed his ballhawking ability that the 49ers saw in him when they drafted him a couple years ago. The third-year safety had an interception and two forced fumbles.

“When I’m out there I play with no hesitation in my game," Goldson said. "When I see my shot, I take them. Sometimes I miss, sometimes I make them but I’ll tell you what, I going to make more than I miss, and I did tonight.”

Goldson said that despite having issues tackling earlier in the year, he wanted to play at full speed. Like Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, Goldson said that at full speed, he can knock the ball out. More often than not, he would get a hit than a miss.

Linebacker Ahmad Brooks has been getting a lot of time on the field in place of Manny Lawson in recent weeks. On Monday, he recorded three sacks, two forced fumbles and looks to be getting a lot more playing time with the team's defense.

“Day-in and day-out, I have been working against those guys like [T] Joe Staley and [T Tony] Pashos, and that definitely helps in games like this," he said after the game. "Playing defensive end might be a better fit for me. I have been playing middle linebacker pretty much my whole life in the 4-3, but I think I kind of fit the mold of a defensive end better.”

Pressure on the Cardinals offense was the story for Monday. The team had four sacks, seven forced fumbles and two interceptions on the day. The 49ers defense held wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald to only 22 yards receiving on the day. Anquan Boldin had only 40 yards through the air. Cornerback Tarell Brown was proud of how the defense played against a top tier passing attack.

“We give ourselves a lot of credit.  We worked real hard in practice, and we pay a lot of attention to details," Brown said after the game. "Every day, we’re focusing a lot harder, and you can see it in all the guys.  We just want to go out there and show the world that we’re one of the top defenses in the league.”

The turnovers led to all 24 of the 49ers points on Monday. Despite an explosive first half, the team was flat in the second half. With a 17-0 lead at halftime, the 49ers surrendered nine straight points to make it 17-9. With the Cardinals driving once again, the 49ers were able to force another fumble. They would seal the game with a 2-yard run by running back Frank Gore. After weeks of minimal running opportunities, Gore had a season-high 25 carries for 167 yards on the ground.

"The last couple of weeks I was very frustrated," Gore said after the game. "My offensive line did a great job today to help us get in that rhythm and we felt like no one could stop us when we got in that rhythm.”  

 This was the style of football that the 49ers wanted to display to the nationally televised audience.

"This is who we are, that out there tonight," said quarterback Alex Smith after the game. "You can’t put us in any category. We’re going to find a way to win, find a way to move the ball and that’s what we did tonight.”

“We had an opportunity to go out and show the nation, all that were watching, what type of football we can play," said linebacker Patrick Willis. "Tonight the light was on us and we stepped up.”

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The 49ers are still aware that their playoff chances are slim. With three games remaining, the 49ers are two games behind the Cardinals for the division lead. The 49ers will have to finish with at least a tie at the end of the season to win the division title.

The team can also still make the Wild Card. Right now, they are two games behind the Dallas Cowboys for the final spot. With the way the Cowboys are playing, the 49ers have a chance to catch up. But the team has to win out for the rest of the year and they have a tough team in Philadelphia next Sunday.

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