NFC WEST Niners escape loss to Arizona

A Peterson field goal lifted San Fransisco to the overtime win ... again.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- The San Francisco 49ers blew a 25-point lead, but not the game.
Todd Peterson kicked a 31-yard field goal with 8:38 left in overtime to give the 49ers a 31-28 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
It was the exact same score as in the teams' first meeting Oct. 10, when visiting Arizona blew a 16-point lead with 5 minutes to go in regulation and lost in overtime on Peterson's 32-yarder.
Ken Dorsey and Maurice Hicks, starting in place of injured quarterback Tim Rattay and running back Kevan Barlow, made the big plays for San Francisco (2-11) -- which had a 28-3 lead early in the third quarter.
San Francisco is 2-0 against Arizona this season, and 0-11 against everyone else.
Dorsey steps up
With coach Dennis Erickson's job in jeopardy, Dorsey threw for the first three touchdowns of his two-year NFL career, two of them to Cedrick Wilson. Hicks carried 34 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. His runs of 7 and 17 yards set up Peterson's game-winning kick.
Josh McCown, back at quarterback for Arizona (4-9) after being benched for three games, directed three second-half touchdown drives, then Neil Rackers' 22-yard field goal with 59 seconds to go sent the game into overtime.
McCown completed 26-of-44 for a career-best 307 yards with one interception. He did not throw for a touchdown.
Emmitt Smith capped Arizona's last TD drive with an 8-yard run, then McCown ran for the two-point conversion to cut it to 28-25 with 2:40 to play.
Terry Jackson's fumble was recovered by David Macklin for Arizona at the 49ers 20 with 2:16 left in regulation. On third-and-goal from the 4, tight end Freddie Jones was open, but Joselio Hanson knocked away McCown's soft toss over the middle and the Cardinals settled for a game-tying field goal.
Fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo ran 4 yards and 1 yard for Arizona's first two scores.
Dorsey, in his fourth start, was 18-for-34 for 191 yards and no touchdowns.
Mistakes abound
A muffed punt, a missed field goal and an interception helped the 49ers to a 21-0 first-half lead.
Andy Lee's punt skidded off the leg of Karl Williams and the 49ers recovered at the Arizona 11.
The 49ers initially settled for a field goal, but Darnell Dockett was called for a penalty for leaping on a teammate to try to block it, and Dorsey's 5-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Lloyd made it 7-0.
Arizona drove inside the 49ers 20 on its next possession, but Rackers missed a 34-yard field goal. San Francisco took over and went 75 yards in 11 plays, Dorsey hitting Wilson just inside the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown.
McCown overthrew Larry Fitzgerald and Tony Parrish returned the interception 25 yards to the Arizona 44. Dorsey's 40-yard pass to Aaron Walker set up Hicks' 1-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0.
Dorsey's 27-yard pass to Wilson on third down gave San Francisco its biggest lead, 28-3, with 9:57 left in the third quarter.