The 49ers started the season off with a bang beating the Arizona Cardinals 20-16, thanks in part to a great defensive showing and a late offensive drive.

Shaun Hill and the rest of San Francisco’s offense had an awful second half, except for one magnificent possession.

Hill directed a 15-play, 80-yard drive for the winning touchdown on a 3-yard pass to Frank Gore with 7:26 to go, and the 49ers spoiled the season debut of defending NFC champion Arizona with a 20-16 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday.

Arizona rallied from 10 points down to go up 16-13 on Neil Rackers’ 44-yard field goal with 14:52 to play, but the 49ers regained control with the drive that used up nearly half of the final quarter.

The Cardinals unfurled their NFC championship banner before the game, then watched their offense — No. 2 in the NFL last season — sputter most of the afternoon in Arizona’s first loss to an NFC West foe in two seasons.

After the 49ers had to punt from their 1 late in the game, the Cardinals had first down at the San Francisco 39.

But a false start penalty and a holding call pushed Arizona back 15 yards and the threat ended when Warner was leveled by Justin Smith as he threw on fourth-and-5 at the San Francisco 33 with 1:51 to play.

Arizona had it once more, this time at the 46 at the finish, but another fierce rush by Smith forced Warner’s fumble as the game ended.

The Cardinals held Gore to 30 yards in 22 carries and sacked Hill four times, but Arizona committed 12 penalties for 82 yards and had its pass protection break down at crucial times.
Hill completed 18 of 31 passes for 209 yards and one touchdown and wasn’t intercepted. Warner was 26 of 44 for 288 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

Arizona’s Tim Hightower caught 12 passes for 121 yards, the second-most receptions by a running back in Cardinals history. Larry Fitzgerald, who didn’t make a catch until the final seconds of the first half, had six for 71 yards. Anquan Boldin, playing despite a sore hamstring, caught one for five yards.

Arizona was without its No. 3 receiver Steve Breaston because of a sprained kneecap.

The 49ers went three-and-out on five of their six possessions in the second half.

But one drive was a doozy.

After the Cardinals had scored 13 points in a row to take the lead, Hill drove the team downfield, converting four third-down opportunities in the process, two on passes to the venerable Isaac Bruce.

On third-and-goal at the 3, the 49ers sent Gore out on the flat and no one followed him. He caught the short pass and scored with no one near him.

Arizona tied it at 13 with a seven-play, 69-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter. Rookie Beanie Wells had runs of 15 and 8 yards, then Warner connected with Hightower on a 23-yard play to the San Francisco 4.

After Arizona lost one, Warner rolled right and found Fitzgerald for the Cardinals’ first TD of the season to tie it with 4:11 left in the third quarter.

The 49ers had 3 yards rushing in the first half and still led 13-6, thanks in part to two interceptions by Warner and eight penalties for 58 yards against Arizona.

Gore had 14 yards in 10 carries through two quarters, but his 6-yarder for a touchdown put San Francisco up 13-3 with 2:23 left in the half.

The game’s lone touchdown of the half was set up by Hill’s 50-yard pass to a wide-open Bruce on third-and-10.

Moments later, Nate Clements intercepted Warner’s pass at the Arizona 34 and San Francisco seemed headed for another score. But Darnell Dockett sacked Hill, then on third-and-20 the 49ers quarterback was hit as he threw by blitzing Antrel Rolle. It was initially called an incomplete pass, but the play was reviewed and ruled a fumble, giving Arizona the ball at its 40 with 1:15 left.

The Cardinals advanced to the San Francisco 11, and after Warner overthrew Fitzgerald in the end zone, Rackers kicked a 29-yarder as the half ended to cut it to 13-6.

Associated Press

As if a morning walk-through, noontime weightlifting and cardiovascular training and a two-hour practice weren’t enough, Nate Clements regularly puts himself through additional work at the end of team drills on most days.

The cornerback, who signed a contract worth a theoretical $80 million in 2007, is assiduous about keeping in top shape in order to earn all that money. That’s why he pushes a heavy wooden sled in 10-yard bursts and slips into a harness to backpedal while pulling another weighted sled.

“It’s nothing new,” he said. “I’m doing it to be the best cornerback in the league. It definitely helps to be in condition. I get stronger in the fourth quarter and as the game progresses.”

Clements and his pals in the secondary will need to be in top shape for Monday night’s game against the Cardinals in Arizona. They figure to do a lot of running around, backpedaling at first and then in full chase mode, as they attempt to cover Arizona’s big-play receivers.

With grizzled quarterback Kurt Warner making the whole thing go, the Cardinals are No. 2 in the NFL in total offense at 387 yards per game and also No. 2 in passing offense at 293 per game. A snappy offense has the Cardinals at 5-3 and leading the sorry NFC West by three games.

Wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald (49 catches for 742 yards), Anquan Boldin (42-514), Steve Breaston (39-503) and Jerheme Urban (14-168) have accounted for all 16 of Arizona’s touchdown passes this season. The Cardinals are on a roll.

“It’s going to be a big challenge,” Clements said. “Statistically, they have the numbers ranked in the top in the NFL in a lot of offensive categories. It’s going to be a challenge to us to shut these guys down. It’s definitely going to be a chess match. They’re going to try to do some things to get their guys open, and we’re going to do some things to have some tight coverage.”

Clements has not had a dazzling season. He has one interception and three passes defended, along with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and 33 total tackles. His individual highlight was returning a blocked field-goal attempt 74 yards for a touchdown against the New York Giants on Oct. 19.

Warner had a modest day against the 49ers in the first meeting Sept. 7 at Candlestick Park as he threw for 197 yards and a touchdown in Arizona’s 23-13 win. It wasn’t until the second game that Warner cut loose with 361 yards against Miami, followed two weeks later with a league-high 472 passing yards in a 56-35 loss to the Brett Favre Jets.

“Kurt Warner is throwing the ball everywhere,” interim head coach Mike Singletary said. “Their receivers are catching it all over. We have to handle it. They’re very hot right now.”

On the flip side, Warner is 37 and won’t win many footraces. He has been sacked 16 times, twice a game. The 49ers have been a little tepid in putting heat on opposing quarterbacks with 13 sacks in eight games. San Francisco is 19th in total defense and 20th against the pass.

“With a quarterback like Warner back there, (pass rush) will be huge,” Singletary said. “He’s doing a great job of getting rid of the ball. The receivers are really in rhythm.”

Clements, who will see both Boldin and Fitzgerald throughout the night, is hoping his front seven does its job and gets after Warner, who is as accurate as he is savvy.

“It’s definitely going to be crucial on both ends” of the defense, Clements said. “We have to trust them that they’ll get there and they have to trust us that we’ll have tight coverage.”

Outside linebacker Manny Lawson, still looking to regain the form he showed at the start of the 2007 season before tearing up a knee, has one sack this season but is more often used in coverage. Still, he’d like to add to his sack total Monday night.

“It’s going to be very important,” he said. “You take a team like that on a hot streak, if you can get the quarterback out of his comfort zone, it disrupts their passing game. If we can get him out of the pocket and moving around, that will give us a better chance of throwing his timing off.”

Coming off their bye week, much of the attention on the 49ers was devoted to the quarterback change from J.T. O’Sullivan to Shaun Hill, a significant move to be sure.

But if the 49ers can’t keep Warner and friends from lighting up the Arizona night (the roof of University of Phoenix Stadium will be open, after all), it won’t matter what the offense does.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

The 49ers won their second game in a row by beating the Lions 31-13. Contributing to the beatdown was Nate who locked down Lions big man Calvin Johnson and held him to four catches for 40 yards.

Nate Clements’ 62-yard interception return set up Frank Gore’s TD catch with 14:11 left for the 49ers, who beat a team with a winning record for the first time this year.

Darrell Jackson and Vernon Davis also caught touchdown passes for San Francisco, which won consecutive games for the first time since the season’s first two weeks.

Bryant Young left Candlestick Park a winner, riding his fellow San Francisco 49ers’ shoulders after his defense made one last stop against the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay also got everything it wanted out of a game that only held real meaning for Young, the 49ers’ stalwart defensive tackle.

Shaun Hill passed for 123 yards and three touchdowns to remain unbeaten as an NFL starter, and Michael Clayton landed out of bounds with his catch on a two-point conversion attempt with 1:20 left in San Francisco’s 21-19 victory over Tampa Bay’s reserves Sunday.

The Buccaneers (9-6) already are headed to the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 4 seed, so Tampa Bay treated the day as a glorified exhibition, removing nearly every key player in the second half.

The 49ers (5-10) are guaranteed their fifth straight losing season, so their greatest motivation was to make a fond memory for Young, the 14-year veteran who’s all but certain to retire next month.

“I was just trying to enjoy the moment and focus on the game, and just trying to focus on my job,” said Young, who played a noticeably effective game in his usual thankless role in the trenches. “I was trying not to get too emotional and break down, because I had a job to do out there.”

The 49ers honored Young, a four-time Pro Bowler and the final roster link to the 49ers’ last championship, with a pregame tribute on the video board. He took the field to fireworks and a standing ovation, and left blowing kisses to San Francisco’s fans.

“I hope someday I can just have half the career he’s had,” said rookie linebacker Patrick Willis, who had 20 tackles and two sacks and forced a fumble.

Full Story: 49ers hang on to defeat visiting Buccaneers – [NFL.com]

Nate Clements had a nice game. The 49ers’ left cornerback was second on the team in tackles with eight, had an interception and broke up two passes. The seven-year pro also returned a punt 41 yards for the third-longest effort of his career.

“I definitely do enjoy it, going out there and making plays,” Clements said about the return.

Because of his close defense on Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith, who had eight receptions for 64 yards and no touchdowns, Clements had to be flattered at the attempts the Panthers made to get their star receiver away from him.

“You saw that, too?” Clements said.

The Panthers had Smith line up at quarterback in the shotgun formation for the direct snap and also put him on the side of the field away from Clements.

On the down side, Clements was flagged for a 15-yard late-hit penalty when he belted Smith too late after an incomplete pass. “I was late,” he said. “I should have eased off.”

Of the 49ers’ 3-9 season, Clements said, “Definitely not what I expected, not what this team expected. Got to roll with the punches and keep going. I don’t care what our record is, how many points we’re down, we all play this game because we love it. We’re definitely disappointed in how the season is going.”

Source: San Francisco Chronicle