"Obviously, everybody was in a hurry mode, but Shaun remained calm," fullback Michael Robinson said. "He did a great job making sure we were legal in our formation."

Hill seemed to be part quarterback, part traffic cop as the game drew to a close. After a completion to receiver Jason Hill, offensive coordinator Mike Martz had two personnel groups on the field, which would have resulted in a penalty if Hill had snapped the ball.

Hill also made sure that tight end Billy Bajema was off the line of scrimmage before spiking the ball on first down, avoiding another penalty. On the final play of the game, Hill realized there wasn't enough time for tailback Frank Gore to line up in the backfield and go in motion, which is how the play was drawn up. Because the clock was set to start on the placement of the ball, Hill sent Gore wide left at the start of the play.

Both Martz and interim head coach Mike Singletary were measured in their assessment of Hill. Both complemented him on his demeanor while also noting that he had two critical second-half interceptions. A third, which was returned for a touchdown, was called back because of a Cardinals penalty.

J.T. O'Sullivan was pulled from the starting lineup in favor of Hill because of similar second-half mistakes.

"I thought he put the ball where it needed to be put," Singletary said. "I thought he handled the offense well. I thought he managed it well with the exception of a couple of plays. That's about what I thought we'd get."

Here's the catch -- Vernon Davis had perhaps the best catch of his career at the end of the first half Monday, one in which he reached around Arizona safety Adrian Wilson for an 18-yard touchdown grab before being hit by safety Antrel Rolle. It was the tight end's first touchdown of the season.

Davis, however, appeared to have an excellent chance at a second touchdown in the third quarter when he got behind the Arizona secondary. Hill's pass seemed to drop just in front of Davis but the tight end made no effort to catch the ball. Davis on Wednesday insisted the ball was uncatchable.

"He (Hill) just threw it," he said. "It was out in front of me. I just couldn't get to it."

Davis said he didn't change his mind about the play after seeing it on film.

Wideouts out -- Two wide receivers, Arnaz Battle (foot) and Josh Morgan (groin), are out Sunday against the Rams. In addition, Gore hurt his neck late Monday and did not practice Wednesday. His status for Sunday has yet to be determined.

Short on receivers, the team signed Mark Bradford, a rookie out of Stanford, to the practice squad. Bradford (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) originally was signed as a rookie free agent by Dallas following the draft.

With Battle and Morgan out, former practice-squad receiver Dominique Zeigler will be the No. 2 wideout at two positions -- split end, where Bryant Johnson will start, and slot receiver, where Jason Hill is the top option.

Safety Dashon Goldson (knee) also is out. Tackle Barry Sims (foot) and tight end Delanie Walker (shoulder) did not practice but have not been ruled out.

Read Matthew Barrows' 49ers blog at www.sacbee.com/ninersblog.