49ers vs. Cardinals: The Good, Bad and Ugly in Week 10 for San Francisco

The Good

The fact San Francisco was tied with a divisional opponent after the two-minute mark is good enough.

Especially after the games seen ever since Week 2.

The 49ers managed only 281 yards of total offense. And while the ground game struggled, quarterback Colin Kaepernick looked more like the Kap of 2012 and 2013 instead of the struggling, indecisive signal-caller we’ve seen in recent weeks.

Kap was 17-of-30 for 210 yards and one passing touchdown — a passer rating of 89.6. But his four-yard scramble late in the game led to San Francisco tying things up.

His 55 yards on the ground also led all San Francisco rushers.

He also spread the ball around, with five different receivers recording catches. Wide receiver Jeremy Kerley led all pass-catchers with seven grabs for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Veteran kicker Phil Dawson also connected on two field goals. He now is at No. 399 in his career.

But the bigger story for San Francisco was its ability to stop Cardinals running back David Johnson and Arizona’s rushing attack.

Granted, Arizona head coach Bruce Arians elected to go pass heavy throughout the game. But Johnson only registered 55 rushing yards on 19 carries — an average of 2.9 yards per attempt.

It’s a positive step for a Niners defense that had allowed seven consecutive 100-plus yard rushers coming into Week 10.

And we can’t forget the 49ers’ four turnovers generated. They were a critical reason why San Francisco stayed in the game.