SAN FRANCISCO -- Michael Crabtree caught touchdown passes of 49 and 7 yards and finished with a career-high 172 yards, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a second consecutive NFC West title with a 27-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Colin Kaepernick overcame a slow start to throw for a career-best 276 yards and two TDs as the Niners (11-4-1) did their part to control the postseason picture -- but were still waiting on the Green Bay Packers' result versus the Minnesota Vikings to know whether they would earn the NFC's No. 2 seed.
Frank Gore ran for a 2-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter for his franchise-best 51st touchdown rushing.
Brian Hoyer went 19-of-34 passing for 225 yards and a late TD toss in his first career NFL start as Arizona's fourth quarterback. The Cardinals (5-11) lost for the 11th time in their last 12 games in what might have been Ken Whisenhunt's final game as coach.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
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