Boldin's staggering run leads Cardinals past 49ers
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Everybody agreed Anquan Boldin had no logical business getting to the end zone, about 50 yards after he should have been tackled.
But players such as Boldin often are the difference between merely disappointing teams like the Arizona Cardinals and truly dismal teams such as the 49ers. Boldin's stumbling, staggering run through the 49ers' inept tackling was a fitting way to decide a 17-10 win over San Francisco.
Kurt Warner was 29-of-45 for 354 yards, and Boldin somehow turned one of his 11 catches for 156 yards into the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter Sunday.
Dominating receivers
Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, who had eight receptions for 129 yards, ran wild in San Francisco's inexperienced secondary. But the Cardinals couldn't take control until Boldin turned a short catch on third-and-20 into a 54-yard, broken-field TD rumble, avoiding five tackles and eventually diving into the end zone with 10:45 to play.
Boldin reacted to his electric score with the proper humility for a star on a losing team. Arizona (4-8) won for the second time in three games, sweeping its season series with the lowly 49ers (2-10).
"I realized that it was third-and-20, and I tried to cut back across the field to give us a chance to get the first down," Boldin said. "I made [about] two guys miss, and it just opened up from there. ... Really the only time they did stop us was when we started stopping ourselves with the penalties and turnovers, but that is something that we have to work on."
Warner threw two interceptions, and the Cardinals managed just 65 yards rushing while failing to score in all three of their trips inside San Francisco's 20. Against any other opponent, it might have cost them.
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