The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • A18

Sports Win not enough to erase concerns The Beatles say, "you get by with a little help from your friends," and the motto was certainly true for the 49ers on Sunday. The 49ers (11-4-1) limped into the 2012 playoffs with an underwhelming 27-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Candlestick Park in Week 17. Still, the team is entering the second season in the same position it held one year ago as the NFC's No. 2 seed with a first-round NEXT GAME 49ers vs. TBD WHEN: Jan.

12, 5 p.m. WHERE: Candlestick Park TV: Fox (KTVU, Ch. 2) RADIO: KNBR (680 AM), KSAN (107.7 FM) NOTE: The 49ers will play either the Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins or Seattle Seahawks bye because the Minnesota Vikings knocked off the Green Bay Packers with a last-second field goal at Mall of America Field in Minneapolis. On the ticker, the victory that clinched the 49ers' second straight NFC West division ence as a pass rusher on the right side. With three games to play, Aldon Smith was only three sacks short of tying Michael Strahan's single-season record.

But without Smith to tie up the offensive line, he recorded a grand total of zero sacks in the last three weeks after picking up 15 in his previous seven games. At this point, The Cowboy is determined to return for the playoffs, but can he possibly be as effective with a tear in his left triceps? The David Akers problem is also growing dire. Akers missed wide left on his first two field-goal attempts Sunday, 44- and 40-yard tries, shots that were automatic last season. Apologies for assuming the role of Captain Obvious here, but you can't win close games in January if your kicker is hitting only 50 percent of his tries. If the 49ers received some good news against the Cardinals, it's that the passing game looked smooth despite the loss of Mario Manning-ham.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw for a career-high 276 yards and he had a field day with top-target Michael Crabtree, who picked up 172 yards on eight catches. But putting up points on a Cardinals team that lost 11 of its last 12 games doesn't negate the concerns hovering over the 49ers heading into January. In the playoffs, they won't have any friends to lean on. Paul Gackle is a regular contributor to The San Francisco Examiner and also writes at www.gacklereport.com. He can be reached at paul.gacklegmail.com and followed on Twitter GackleReport.

paul GACKLE GARY EDMONDSONUSA TODAY SPORTS Far from perfect: Ahmad Brooks (55) and the Niners defense found some success against the lowly Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but there were signs the defense still hasn't regained its form since Pro Bowler Justin Smith went down with an injury. title looks respectable. But the game didn't exactly mollify the worries that surfaced in last week's 42-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The biggest question right now is whether the 49ers' defense is still among the NFL's best when "The Cowboy" isn't roping and riding with the rest of the unit. Justin Smith might be the best run-stopping lineman in the league.

Heading into Sunday's game, the 49ers ranked first in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (86.7) over the past two seasons and without Smith last week they were gashed for 176 yards on the ground. The defense NFL: 49ERS NOTES held the Cardinals to 55 rushing yards on Sunday, but statistics don't always paint a complete picture. Here's the alarming part: William Powell picked up 53 of those yards in the first half. The Cardinals only carried the ball twice in the second half as the 49ers built a lead, forcing the Cardinals to pass the ball. It might seem nitpicky but it's fair to question whether the rushing defense can hold up against a running back like Alfred Morris or in a rematch against Marshawn Lynch when Powell is breaking free for 9-yard gains.

The Cowboy's absence up front is also blunting Aldon Smith's influ- Grabtree eclipses elusive mark By Ben Martin Special to The S.F. Examiner on Sept. 23 and Peterson has been running wild ever since. Pounding the rock: Frank Gore scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter, extending his franchise-record 51 career touchdowns, eight of which have come this season. He finished the year with 1,214 rushing yards.

Elite company: Jim Harbaugh became just the eighth coach in NFL history to win division titles in each of his first two seasons. George Seifert also did it with the 49ers in 1989-90. Harbaugh is only the third to do so after taking over a team with a losing record the previous season, joining Chuck Knox in 1973-74 and Ted Marchibroda in 1975-76. Davis limited in return: A week after suffering a concussion, Vernon Davis was active Sunday and saw limited action. He caught one pass for five yards and was targeted twice.

paying attention. I didn't even know you had a career-high day," Crabtree said to Kaepernick. "I didn't either," Kaepernick said as they shared the postgame podium. "I just found out." The wideout went on to sum up the attitude the team shares on the field. "It's football.

We just go out there and play." Playoff opponent: While the 49ers will have to wait a week to find out their playoff opponent in the divisional round, they do know one thing: it won't be against Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings. The star running back helped his team lock up the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs with their win Sunday. As a result, if the Vikings knock off the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round, they'll face the Atlanta Falcons regardless of the outcome of the other NFC wild-card game. The 49ers lost to the Vikings 24-13 The 49ers were happy to cap their season off with a win that gave them the NFC West Division title, but the game featured a number of other highlights for the Red and Gold as well.

Michael Crabtree set a career high with 172 yards on eight catches, including a pair of touchdowns. He became the first 49ers receiver to pass the milestone in a season since Terrell Owens did it in 2003. Crabtree finished with 1,105 yards for the year. Colin Kaepernick set a career high in passing yards with 276, including two touchdowns. His previous high was last week at Seattle, when he had 244.

The quarterback's milestone was news to both players when asked about it after the game, however. "To tell you the truth, I wasn't really TONY AVELARAP.