49ers use the pass to defeat Cardinals

San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore (21) scores as Arizona Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009 in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

The 49ers used the pass, not the rush, to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 20-16 on Sunday. When the 49ers running game was limited to 21 total yards on 25 carries, the 49ers used the passing attack late in the game to score the game winning drive.

Trailing 16-13 after a Neil Rackers field goal to start the 4th quarter, the 49ers began on the 20-yard line and drove the ball in 7:26 with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Frank Gore. The drive had 13 passing plays out of the 15 total plays.

The most surprising thing about the 49ers offense was the struggle of that running game. Gore had only 30 yards on the ground in 22 attempts. And even when the first two plays of a drive were unsuccessful runs, somehow offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye would dial up another running play. The 49ers defense, however, played up to their level.

The defense had three sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble. The pass rush for the 49ers forced Warner into the two interceptions and the final sack sealed the win for the 49ers.

Wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin for eight yards and 90 yards with one touchdown. The star for the Cardinals was running back Tim Hightower. And the 49ers would take that any day, having Warner dump off to the running back over passing it to the two wide outs.

The great play of Patrick Willis and the pressure from Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson surely made defensive coordinator Greg Manusky look like a genius. The secondary for the most part contained Warner's passing game. He still had a decent passing game, but none of it broke the game open for the Cardinals.

The win wasn't something that was particulary great to watch in terms of execution, but it was just good enough for head coach Mike Singletary.

"I could care less if it was ugly. It was beautiful for us."

And the 49ers did exactly what they should have done. They scored first and took a 6-3 lead. Their running game couldn't get the team to touchdowns early. And Shaun Hill had some time tough with the offensive line. He was sacked three time. A lot of the struggle could be pinpointed to tackle Adam Snyder. His struggles might trigger a change to Tony Pashos for next week.

But the receivers, especially Isaac Bruce and Vernon Davis were great targets for Hill. Bruce finished with four catches and 74 yards; Davis had five catches for 40 yards.

The 49ers won a division game and most importantly, they stood up to the best offense in the league and the most dangerous threat to win the division title. It is most definitely a great win for the 49ers. They couldn't run real well, but their passing and defense helped them get the win. If they can get their running game down for next week, they will most definitely be the team to beat in the division now. It's high expectations for the 49ers, but they have that potential in them.

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