Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Early Doucet was absolutely destroyed on a 5-yard crossing route by San Francisco 49ers safety Dashon Goldson during Monday night's blowout loss.
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Doucet lined up in the right slot and cut inside. The ball arrived at the same time as Goldson, who took both of Doucet's feet off the ground with a crushing shoulder-to-shoulder hit. Doucet landed flat on his back and stayed there for several minutes.
"Vince Lombardi would be proud," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh told the San Francisco Chronicle after his team's 24-3 win.
"Those hits like that are game changers, and they're momentum changers," he said. "He ran a play, I read it and I just unloaded."
The entire 49ers defense unloaded on the Cardinals. Quarterback John Skelton was sacked four times and hit six times. Not a single Cardinals wideout surpassed 65 receiving yards. All-Pro Larry Fitzgerald was held to five receptions, two of which came on the game's final drive. The running game produced 7 yards on nine attempts.
This is the Arizona team we expected when the season started. That 4-0 start began to change minds as the defense played like one of the top units in the NFL. Things went back to normal during the ensuing 0-4 run. The Cardinals' offense can't do enough to win until the offensive line begins to play much better.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
