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49ers fail to seal the deal, lose to Cardinals 29-24
49ers runningback Michael Robinson , right, is stopped at the 1-yard line by the Cardinals' Clark Haggans (53), Darnell Dockett (90), and Karlos Dansby, center on the final play of Monday night's game, won by Arizona, 29-24.
PAUL CONNORS / Associated PressPublished: Monday, November 10, 2008 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, November 10, 2008 at 10:46 p.m.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The 49ers came out fighting Monday night.
That fight lasted until the final agonizing seconds, when the 49ers seemed to fight themselves to keep their composure and run the final plays of the game.
Running back Michael Robinson — not Frank Gore — got the call on the last play. When he was stuffed from 2 yards out, it completed an excruciating 29-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
The 49ers led from the opening 12 seconds on Allen Rossum’s 104-yard kickoff return for a touchdown until the Cardinals took the lead on Anquan Boldin’s 4-yard pass from Kurt Warner with 4:16 remaining.
“My heart is torn out because we lost,” 49ers interim coach Mike Singletary said. “It also tells me something: We just have to learn how to finish games.”
The loss virtually eliminates the 49ers (2-7) from contention in the NFC West. The division-leading Cardinals improved to 6-3, building a five-game lead over the 49ers in the standings with seven games to play. (The Cardinals hold a tie-breaker over the 49ers, based on their sweep of the season series.)
Quarterback Shaun Hill, making his first start of the season in place of J.T. O’Sullivan, had an up-and-down game. He was brilliant in the first half, struggled with three turnovers in the second half, but still nearly rallied his team once more for the victory.
The 49ers played their best game of the season, but came up short in Singletary’s second game after taking over for fired Mike Nolan.
“We have a vision that we believe in thoroughly,” Singletary said. “But that vision did not get carried out today.”
Down by five points, the 49ers took over with 1:06 remaining at the Arizona 42-yard line. They did not have any timeouts remaining.
Hill completed three consecutive passes to Jason Hill (seven catches, 84 yards) to the Arizona 1-yard line. The last of those receptions was a 14-yarder on a play that began with 52 seconds remaining. With the clock running, the 49ers were confused about whether to send in different personnel or snap the ball and spike it to stop the clock.
Hill finally got things settled down long enough to spike the ball with 20 seconds remaining.
On second-and-goal from the 1, Gore tried to work around left tackle. He stumbled as he tried to make a move to the outside around Arizona defender Chike Okeafor. Gore stumbled down at the 2, where he was ruled down by contact.
The play went under replay review, giving the 49ers one final play from the 2-yard line with 4 seconds remaining. On that play, Robinson got the call up the middle. But he was stuffed after a 1-yard gain by linebacker Clark Haggan, setting off a wild Cardinals celebration.
“The clock started as soon as the whistle blew, so we just did what we could do,” Robinson said. “I always expect the ball, so I wasn’t surprised. They made the play and we didn’t.”
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who made the play call, was not available for comment after the game.
Said Singletary, “Coach Martz felt there would be a cavity inside, so he made that call.”
As for the final hectic seconds, Singletary admitted, “Yeah, we could’ve done a heck of a lot better job.”
In his first start of the season, Hill completed 19 of 40 passes for 217 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble.
“It was a lack of execution, with myself being careless with the football,” Hill said. “There are no excuses for turnovers, and I take full responsibility for all three of those.”
In the first half, Hill gave the 49ers a spark.
On third-and-11 late in the first half, Martz called Hill’s number on a quarterback draw. Hill had room to run around the left side. He lowered his head near the first-down marker to take on Arizona linebacker Karlos Dansby. Hill’s helmet popped off, but he did not go down.
Hill remained on his feet and fought through linebacker Gerald Hayes to dive forward to pick up the first down. The spirited play kept alive a drive that culminated with Hill’s 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis — yes, that Vernon Davis.
Davis went up over safety Adrian Wilson in the end zone to make the catch of the perfectly thrown ball. However, Davis was called for unsportsmanlike conduct when he removed his helmet before leaving the playing field. All eyes turned toward Singletary on the sideline.
In the 49ers’ previous game, Oct. 26 against the Seattle Seahawks, Singletary and Davis got national attention when the coach benched the player after he was called for unnecessary roughness. Singletary eventually sent Davis to the locker room at the start of the fourth quarter, then blasted him during a post-game tirade during his press conference.
But this time, Davis embraced Singletary on the sideline after giving the 49ers a 21-13 lead with :29 remaining in the first half.
“I told him, ‘Great catch, (but) let’s remember to stay smart,’ ” Singletary said.
Hill lofted a perfect 31-yard pass to rookie Josh Morgan, who juggled the ball twice before getting a grip on it for a touchdown against the coverage of cornerback Roderick Hood. The scoring play gave the 49ers a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.
For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at 521-5492 or matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com
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