SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- A few thoughts on the San Francisco 49ers' 20-17 defeat of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium:
What it means: What began with a roar -- WHO’S GOT IT BETTER THAN US? NO-BODY! -- ended, with a whimper. The Jim Harbaugh Era came to a close with the Niners ending a four-game losing streak and saving some face with a victory and upending of the playoff-bound Arizona Cardinals.
A popular preseason Super Bowl pick, the Niners instead finished 8-8 and third in the NFC West.
Several reports have Harbaugh accepting as soon as Tuesday a six-year, $48 million contract to return to his alma mater and coach at the University of Michigan.
Cornerback Chris Culliver, who will be a free agent, had his fourth interception of the season, while linebacker Michael Wilhoite had his second pick and Craig Dahl sealed the game with his first interception. Plus, defensive tackle Tank Carradine had his third sack of the season.
Stock watch: Settling -- Colin Kaepernick, Harbaugh’s hand-picked QB, will be the player most affected by his departure. In what was their final game together, Kaepernick played loose and was impressive in the open field. He threw two touchdown passes for the first time since throwing three Oct. 13 at the St. Louis Rams. He also threw for 204 yards on 15-of-26 passing and had a passer rating of 108.5. His 76-yard touchdown toss to Anquan Boldin in the first quarter was the second-longest pass of his career, behind the 80-yard throw he had against the Rams.
Milestone met: Boldin’s 76-yard catch-and-run for a first-quarter touchdown was not only the second-longest reception of Boldin’s 12-year career, but it also put him over the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the second consecutive season. He is the fourth player in franchise history with multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons; he joins Jerry Rice, who had 12 such seasons, Terrell Owens (five) and John Taylor (two).
Milestone met II: Frank Gore entered the game needing 38 yards to record his eighth 1,000-yard rushing season in 10 years. He got 144 yards on 25 carries and became the 11th player in NFL history to rush for 11,000 yards in his career. He also overtook Warrick Dunn for No. 20 on the league’s all-time rushing list. Gore is a pending unrestricted free agent, though he has said he wants to return to Santa Clara. General manager Trent Baalke told CSNBayArea.com this week the team was also interested in retaining Gore’s services. Stay tuned.
Game ball: Since we’re talking about a season MVP rather than a single-game MVP, let’s go with a first-year Niner. Strong safety Antoine Bethea replaced departed free agent Donte Whitner and was a steadying force in the Niners’ depleted secondary. Entering Week 17, Bethea had 82 tackles, a sack of the St. Louis Rams’ Austin Davis, a forced fumble against the Philadelphia Eagles, a career-high 10 passes defensed and a career high-tying four interceptions, which matched his picks from the 2006 and 2009 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He also recorded his first career pick-six when he returned Philip Rivers’ errant toss 49 yards for a score last week.
What's next: Harbaughcalypse ramps up as numerous reports have Harbaugh, who agreed to part with the 49ers Sunday postgame, going to coach at the University of Michigan. The Niners will begin the coaching search, hire a staff and prepare for the draft. It is the first time since 2010 the 49ers are sitting out the playoffs.