49ers defense clamps down on Cardinals

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A year ago, Dashon Goldson scuffled with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Early Doucet and got ejected.On Monday, Goldson used legal methods to take out some punishment on the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver. Goldson flattened Doucet with a textbook hit to break up a fourth-quarter pass."Vince Lombardi would be proud," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said of Goldson's hit.Said Goldson, "That's a compliment. It was a hard, clean hit, and that's something to be proud of. I'm proud of it. And I'm happy for that guy that he's OK and he got back in the game."Doucet had the wind knocked out of him. He remained on the turf for a few moments before leaving under his own power. Last year, Goldson was fined 25,000 for his role in a fight with Doucet, while Doucet received a 10,000 citation.The 49ers dished out a lot of hits Monday, as they held their fourth opponent this season without a touchdown."We are for real," 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers said. "Our thing is just to continue to get better and continue to play week-in and week-out."The 49ers were dominant against the run. The Cardinals gained just 7 yards rushing on nine attempts. It tied the best performance by a 49ers run defense in franchise history. In 1972, the 49ers held the New Orleans Saints to 7 yards, too."It's good," 49ers defensive lineman Justin Smith said. "That's part of what makes us good on defense is stopping the run and making them one-dimensional. We started to get back to that tonight."
Cardinals quarterback John Skelton completed 32 of 59 passes for 290 yards. Skelton's passer rating was just 68.6, as Chris Culliver intercepted a pass at the end of the first half. The 49ers also sacked Skelton four times.Outside linebacker Aldon Smith recorded two sacks, which he punctuated with a swing for the fence to pay tribute to the San Francisco Giants' World Series title."We have a great defensive line and they did a great job of putting presure on him and getting him off his spot," 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman said. "We were able to get some sacks on him and make some big plays on their wideouts."The 49ers held Cardinals All-Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald to five catches for 52 yards. Skelton targeted Fitzgerald with 11 passes."It was not the way we wanted to perform," Fitzgerald said. "On Monday Night Football, you want to perform better. It really was rough."

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