San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals Box Score on Sep 21, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 21, 2014

Cardinals 23, 49ers 14: Drew Stanton hooked up with rookie John Brown for a pair of third-quarter touchdowns as host Arizona rallied to remain perfect on the season.

Stanton completed 18-of-33 passes for 244 yards in his second straight start in place of the injured Carson Palmer and Michael Floyd made five catches for 114 yards for the Cardinals (3-0), who have won 10 of their last 12 games dating to last season. Andre Ellington gained 62 yards on 18 carries while rookie Chandler Catanzaro improved to 9-for-9 with three field goals.

Colin Kaepernick was 29-of-37 for 245 yards and a touchdown for the 49ers (1-2), who had their four-game winning streak against Arizona snapped. Kaepernick also led the team with 54 rushing yards, Stevie Johnson had nine receptions for 103 yards and Michael Crabtree made 10 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.

Each team scored on its first two possessions, with San Francisco finding the end zone both times and Arizona settling for a pair of field goals. Catanzaro converted a 51-yard attempt less than four minutes into the game before Kaepernick made a 2-yard TD toss to Crabtree and Catanzaro hit a 32-yarder early in the second quarter, but Carlos Hyde scored on a 6-yard run 5:07 before the half for a 14-6 lead.

The Cardinals dominated the third quarter as Stanton completed touchdown passes of 24 and 21 yards to Brown, with the second being aided by a pair of undisciplined penalties committed by San Francisco. Tommy Kelly blocked Phil Dawson's 45-yard field-goal attempt on the second play of the fourth to keep Arizona ahead by six, and Catanzaro sealed the win with a 35-yard field goal in the final minute.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald made three catches - all in the fourth quarter - for 34 yards, extending his streak to 152 consecutive games with a reception. ... Two fourth-quarter trends for both teams in the early portion of the season continued as San Francisco remained scoreless and Arizona kept its slate spotless. ... Arizona CB Antonio Cromartie suffered a knee injury in the third quarter and underwent an MRI exam. He told the team's website he hyperextended the knee.