It was a “Monday Night Football” to forget for the Arizona Cardinals – particularly their defense, who allowed 38 points (and 24 unanswered) to the San Francisco 49ers during the divisional beatdown.
A notable moment came late in the game, with Arizona already trailing 31-10 and on defense. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tossed a short pass to tight end George Kittle, who was uncovered in the flat and started to run toward the end zone. But while Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton appeared to be in position to make a tackle, he seemed to make a business decision and instead got out of the way, letting Kittle run into the end zone for a touchdown.
Troy Aikman, broadcasting the game on ESPN, laid into the Cardinals for their effort during the replay.
Troy Aikman Getty Images“This is embarrassing for the Arizona Cardinals,” Aikman said. “At the end of this play … Antonio Hamilton doesn’t come up, after all the tackles he made last week, and even try to make an attempt on George Kittle. They’re a losing football team, and they’re playing like one on that play.”
Hamilton, to his credit, logged a career-high in tackles with 12 during the Cardinals’ Week 10 victory over the Rams. Clearly, however, he wasn’t interested in making another one against Kittle, who had two touchdowns on the day.
George Kittle runs with the ball against the Cardinals Getty ImagesThe loss dropped the Cardinals, who were without starting quarterback Kyler Murray for the second-straight game, to 4-7 on the season. Meanwhile, the 49ers are now 6-4, tied at the top of the NFC West with the Seahawks.



