San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals: 2003 Week 8 Recap

Game story

In Week 8 of the 2003 NFL season on 2003-10-26, the Arizona Cardinals took care of business against the San Francisco 49ers, pulling away with a 16–13 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q1 with 13 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

J. Blake (Arizona Cardinals) paced the passing game, with -3.80 total EPA.

On the individual side, J. Garcia (San Francisco 49ers) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +7.55 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+16.7% win probability) landed in overtime when Arizona Cardinals changed the game: (10:13) 6-T.Duncan 39 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Hodel, Holder-10-S.Player.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 J. Garcia · San Francisco 49ers · Rushing · +7.55 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.89 EPA/play
2. 2 J. Garcia · San Francisco 49ers · Passing · +6.60 total EPA · 28 snaps · +0.24 EPA/play
3. 3 T. Owens · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +5.18 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.86 EPA/play
4. 4 G. Hearst · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +3.69 total EPA · 1 snaps · +3.69 EPA/play
5. 5 B. Gilmore · Arizona Cardinals · Receiving · +3.24 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.62 EPA/play
6. 6 A. Boldin · Arizona Cardinals · Receiving · +2.65 total EPA · 3 snaps · +0.88 EPA/play
7. 7 F. Beasley · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +2.52 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.52 EPA/play
8. 8 T. Streets · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +2.13 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.06 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• San Francisco 49ers — J. Garcia (Q1 56:11)
• Arizona Cardinals — J. Blake (Q1 48:54)
• San Francisco 49ers — J. Garcia (Q4 8:03)

Field goals

• Arizona Cardinals — T. Duncan (Q2 30:32)
• Arizona Cardinals — T. Duncan (Q3 23:02)
• Arizona Cardinals — T. Duncan (OT 10:13)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Arizona Cardinals won the period 7–6. San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the ARI 21 (Q1 56:11) — (11:11) 5-J.Garcia right end for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Arizona Cardinals found the end zone from the SF 1 (Q1 48:54) — (3:54) 11-J.Blake up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Arizona Cardinals added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q1 48:52) — 6-T.Duncan extra point is GOOD, Center-48-N.Hodel, Holder-10-S.Player..

The second quarter: Arizona Cardinals won the period 3–0. Arizona Cardinals connected on a field goal from the SF 35 (Q2 30:32) — (:32) 6-T.Duncan 53 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Hodel, Holder-10-S.Player..

The third quarter: Arizona Cardinals won the period 3–0. Arizona Cardinals connected on a field goal from the SF 2 (Q3 23:02) — (8:02) 6-T.Duncan 20 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Hodel, Holder-10-S.Player..

The fourth quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 7–0. San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the ARI 4 (Q4 8:03) — (8:03) 5-J.Garcia left tackle to ARI 1 for 3 yards. FUMBLES, recovered by SF-77-K.Harris at ARI 1. 77-K.Harris for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the ARI 2 (Q4 7:12) — 11-O.Pochman extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-B.LaFleur..

Overtime: Arizona Cardinals won the period 3–0. Arizona Cardinals connected on a field goal from the SF 22 (OT 10:13) — (10:13) 6-T.Duncan 39 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Hodel, Holder-10-S.Player..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Arizona Cardinals (OT 10:13) — (10:13) 6-T.Duncan 39 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Hodel, Holder-10-S.Player. [WPA +16.7% · EPA +0.99]
• Arizona Cardinals (OT 13:36) — (13:36) (Shotgun) 11-J.Blake pass to 86-B.Gilmore to SF 45 for 10 yards. [WPA +16.6% · EPA +1.66]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 44:53) — (14:53) 11-O.Pochman 45 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Right, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-B.LaFleur. [WPA -15.3% · EPA -3.34]
• Arizona Cardinals (Q4 1:08) — (1:08) (Shotgun) 11-J.Blake pass to 81-A.Boldin to SF 39 for 19 yards (55-J.Winborn). [WPA +12.8% · EPA +1.37]
• Arizona Cardinals (Q2 41:31) — (11:31) 81-A.Boldin pass intended for 86-B.Gilmore INTERCEPTED by 38-R.Heard at SF 22. 38-R.Heard to SF 22 for no gain (86-B.Gilmore). [WPA -12.7% · EPA -3.18]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• San Francisco 49ers (Q3 15:31) — (:31) 32-K.Barlow right tackle to SF 39 for 1 yard (57-R.McKinnon). FUMBLES (57-R.McKinnon), RECOVERED by ARI-79-C.Pace at SF 39. [WPA -8.4% · EPA -4.44]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q1 57:18) — (12:18) 5-J.Garcia pass to 20-G.Hearst to ARI 21 for 25 yards (21-R.Hill, 55-R.Thompson). [WPA +12.0% · EPA +3.69]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 44:53) — (14:53) 11-O.Pochman 45 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Right, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-B.LaFleur. [WPA -15.3% · EPA -3.34]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q1 56:11) — (11:11) 5-J.Garcia right end for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +8.3% · EPA +3.22]

Quarterback report card

J.Blake led all passers in efficiency for Arizona Cardinals, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• J.Blake (Arizona Cardinals) · 28 dropbacks · 50.0% completion · -0.14 EPA/play · -3.80 total EPA
• J.Garcia (San Francisco 49ers) · 28 dropbacks · 46.4% completion · +0.24 EPA/play · +6.60 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (San Francisco 49ers -0.15, Arizona Cardinals -0.12) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• Arizona Cardinals: 12 drives, -10.97 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• San Francisco 49ers: 11 drives, -10.97 total EPA, 2 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Arizona Cardinals leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• J. Garcia (San Francisco 49ers) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q1 56:11 · ARI 21 · Score 6-0
   (11:11) 5-J.Garcia right end for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Arizona Cardinals TD (+6) — Q1 48:54 · SF 1 · Score 6-6
   (3:54) 11-J.Blake up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
3. Arizona Cardinals XP (+1) — Q1 48:52 · SF 2 · Score 6-7
   6-T.Duncan extra point is GOOD, Center-48-N.Hodel, Holder-10-S.Player.
4. Arizona Cardinals FG (+3) — Q2 30:32 · SF 35 · Score 6-10
   (:32) 6-T.Duncan 53 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Hodel, Holder-10-S.Player.
5. Arizona Cardinals FG (+3) — Q3 23:02 · SF 2 · Score 6-13
   (8:02) 6-T.Duncan 20 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Hodel, Holder-10-S.Player.
6. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q4 8:03 · ARI 4 · Score 12-13
   (8:03) 5-J.Garcia left tackle to ARI 1 for 3 yards. FUMBLES, recovered by SF-77-K.Harris at ARI 1. 77-K.Harris for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
7. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q4 7:12 · ARI 2 · Score 13-13
   11-O.Pochman extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-B.LaFleur.
8. Arizona Cardinals FG (+3) — OT 10:13 · SF 22 · Score 13-16
   (10:13) 6-T.Duncan 39 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Hodel, Holder-10-S.Player.