Surprising San Francisco takes shaky lead entering 4th quarter

November 11, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Weathering a flurry of completions by Kurt Warner, the San Francisco 49ers took a precarious 24-20 lead over the Arizona Cardinals into the fourth quarter on Monday night.

Arizona, the NFC West leaders, looked as if it had taken the lead late in the quarter when safety Antrel Rolle picked off a pass by Shaun Hill and returned it for a touchdown. But Arizona’s Adrian Wilson was flagged for an offside penalty.

Wilson’s reprieve came two plays later, when Hill fumbled the snap and Arizona’s Clark Haggans recovered at the 49ers’ 10-yard line with 38 seconds to go in the quarter.

Arizona trailed 21-13 at halftime, but then Warner heated up. The Cardinals opened the second half with a masterful seven-play, 61-yard touchdown drive.

Warner completed all six of his passes on the drive and accounted for every yard.

His last pass was a 5-yard touchdown strike to Larry Fitzgerald on fourth-and-inches.

That cut Arizona’s deficit to 21-20. The 49ers answered with a nine-play, 33-yard drive that ended with a 41-yard field goal by Joe Nedney.

Warner came right back, hitting Anquan Boldin for 17 yards and completing his next three passes. But the drive stalled at midfield, and the Cardinals were forced to punt.

Hill threw two second-quarter touchdown passes as the 49ers took a 21-13 halftime lead.

San Francisco coach Mike Singletary benched quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan in place of Hill, a journeyman making his third start, and first on the road, in seven NFL seasons.