The San Francisco 49ers came out on top in the first half of the "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Showcasing true complementary football, San Francisco's offense, defense and special teams all displayed physical performances at the beginning of the international contest.
First Half Highlights:
The matchup started out with the 49ers defense forcing a Cardinals three-and-out. In Arizona's next offensive drive, San Francisco's defense shut the team down in the red zone and forced the Cardinals to settle for a field goal, taking the initial 3-0 lead.
The 49ers first touchdown came in the second quarter. On the drive, wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. recorded 19 receiving yards and running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 20 yards to set up San Francisco's offense in the red zone. At fourth and goal, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo found wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in the end zone for a 7-yard score. Robbie Gould kicked an extra point to make the score 7-3.
Arizona's offense attempted to answer back, but defensive back Jimmie Ward caught a deflected ball off of Cardinals running back James Conner for an interception. In the 49ers next possession, San Francisco's offense capitalized. Garoppolo found The People's Tight End, George Kittle, in the end zone and the 49ers improved to 14-3.
As the clock counted down to halftime, defensive back Nick Bosa notched his first sack of the game and 10.5 sacks on the season.
Halftime score: 17-10 49ers.
