National Football League
Arizona 21, San Francisco 19
When: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, December 11, 2011
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Alberto Riveron
Attendance: 60808

John Skelton replaced the injured Kevin Kolb and tossed three touchdowns as the Arizona Cardinals posted their fifth win in six games with a 21-19 home triumph over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

After tossing scoring strikes to Early Doucet and Larry Fitzgerald, Skelton completed Arizona's rally from a 12-point deficit with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Andre Roberts at the 3:10 mark of the fourth quarter. The Cardinals (6-7) have won three in a row and avenged a 23-7 loss to the 49ers on Nov. 20.

With the loss, NFC West champion San Francisco (10-3) pulled into a tie with the New Orleans Saints (10-3) for second place in the conference and a potential first-round bye in the postseason. The Saints collected their fifth straight win with a 22-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans earlier in the day.

Kolb exited the contest in the first quarter after he was hit from behind by linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Skelton found a familiar target in Fitzgerald, who reeled in seven catches for 149 yards, highlighted by his 46-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

After tossing three interceptions in the team's earlier meeting, Skelton overcame two picks on Sunday to complete 19 of 28 passes for 282 yards.

Frank Gore went nearly untouched on a 37-yard touchdown in the third quarter and David Akers connected on four of five field goal attempts for San Francisco.

Safety Dashon Goldson collected his fifth interception in seven games and returned the ball to the Arizona 16 with 1:10 remaining in the second quarter. It led to Akers' fourth field goal and a 12-7 lead at halftime.

Top Game Performances
Rushing
San Francisco   Arizona
Frank Gore Player Beanie Wells
10 Attempts 15
72 Yards 27
7.2 Avg Yards 1.8
1 Touchdowns 0
37 Long 8
Receiving
San Francisco   Arizona
Michael Crabtree Player Larry Fitzgerald
7 Receptions 7
63 Yards 149
9.0 Avg Yards 21.3
0 Touchdowns 1
15 Long 53
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
San Francisco 233 90 143 1 4 2 2.0 2
Arizona 325 55 270 3 0 0 5.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game at home against Cleveland. The Cardinals have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • San Francisco will play their next game at home against Pittsburgh. The 49ers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.