Career highlights were sort of a theme for the 49ers in their Week 16 win over the Cardinals. A slew of players had single-game records or new careers in San Francisco’s 20-12 win.
Walking back Jeff Wilson Jr. led a strong day for the 49ers’ hasty attack. He had 22 hasty tries for a career-high 183 yards. His previous best performance was his 112-meter performance against the Patriots in week 7.
Quarterback CJ Beathard was unproductive by air against the Cardinals. He completed 13 of his 22 throws for 182 yards, but managed to make the three best touchdown passes of his career. He had previously thrown two touchdowns four times. It was the first time he pitched for multiple touchdowns in a game without interception.
Two of San Francisco’s touchdowns came via fullback Kyle Juszczyk. His few touchdown receptions marked the first time in his eight-year career playing a multi-touchdown game. Juszczyk also set a career high for touchdowns in a season of six, eclipsing his previous high of five in 2015.
Linebacker Fred Warner also had a big game, including a massive fourth-quarter downpass break-up to wipe out a Cardinals comeback attempt. Warner eventually took credit for three pass breakups. That cleared his previous record of two, which he did once in each of his first two seasons.
San Francisco had three sacks as a team, and each sack marked a new career high for the player who took it up. Kerry Hyder Jr. had one to give him an 8.5 for the season. That surpasses the 8.0 he posted in the 2016 season.
K’Waun Williams shot from the corner to take out Cardinals QB Kyler Murray. It was his second sack of the season, and 2020 was the first time Williams got more than one sack in a year.
Defensive Tackle DJ Jones flew through the middle of the Cardinals’ line of attack for his third sack of the year. That makes the high of 2.0 that he achieved a season ago, clear.
While it has been a disappointing year for the 49ers, some of the club’s individual achievements have offered a silver lining and helped them stay competitive in a year when not much went well.