Sunday, November 05, 2006

49ers D Wins Game

At the two-minute warning, coach Mike Nolan gathered the San Francisco 49ers ' defensive players and let them have it.

"It's up to you right now to win this game," Nolan said. "It's on you right now. I'm not calling any timeouts, not saving any time. Guys, it'll go down to the very last play. It's on you."

To the surprise of everybody who wasn't wearing the 49ers' throwback uniforms, a much-maligned defense proved capable of lifting that burden.

Something to cheer about in San Francisco!




Joe Nedney kicked his third field goal with 7:15 to play, and San Francisco shut out the Minnesota Vikings in the final three quarters of a 9-3 victory.

Thanks to Nedney's strong leg -- and his lobbying efforts, which helped San Francisco to get a second shot at its final field goal -- the 49ers (3-5) had just enough offense to back a shocking performance by their defense, which had allowed 150 points in its last four games.

San Francisco managed just 133 total yards with its own miserable offense, but got cohesive play from the same unit that gave up 41 points by halftime last week at Chicago. The Niners simplified their game plan and hung on, stopping Minnesota's final drive with 1:04 left.

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