49ers’ Carlos Hyde earns praise for ejection



less Carlos Hyde of the San Francisco 49ers is walked off the field by San Francisco 49ers staff after a scuffle due to a late hit on C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers by Antoine Bethea #41 of the Arizona Cardinals during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. Hyde was ejected from the game for his role. Carlos Hyde of the San Francisco 49ers is walked off the field by San Francisco 49ers staff after a scuffle due to a late hit on C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers by Antoine Bethea #41 of the Arizona ... more Photo: Lachlan Cunningham, Getty Images Photo: Lachlan Cunningham, Getty Images Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close 49ers’ Carlos Hyde earns praise for ejection 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

The 49ers didn’t go down without a fight.

In the final minutes of their ninth straight loss to open the season Sunday, the 49ers engaged the Cardinals in a scrap after a hit by Arizona safety Antoine Bethea on 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard.

When the scuffle was finished, 49ers running back Carlos Hyde, Arizona linebacker Hasson Reddick and Arizona defensive lineman Frostee Rucker were ejected.

The 49ers’ reaction: Good job, Carlos.

“I really loved how he went and got our quarterback’s back,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Said Beathard: “That’s awesome. They had my back. I knew they would. Guys like Carlos, I saw he got ejected, but he showed he’s got my back. And I really appreciate it.”

Recommended Video:

With just about 3½ minutes left, Bethea’s forearm hit Beathard in the helmet as he was sliding at the end of a 10-yard run. Left guard Laken Tomlinson shoved Beathea — and the fight was on.

“I thought our quarterback had a couple of helmets to the head when he was in the pocket a few plays before,” Shanahan said. “And then he ended up scrambling and sliding and he got one again. I think our players had had enough.”

Said Arizona head coach Bruce Arians: “Crap happens. It’s not college. You don’t get kicked out again next week.”

More injuries: Six of the 49ers’ seven inactive players were injured, and the training room will be even more crowded after Sunday’s game.

Safety Jaquiski Tartt suffered a broken forearm that will end his season, and Shanahan said fullback Kyle Juszczyk’s neck injury also could be “significant.”

Juszczyk, who missed two games earlier this season with what was listed as a back injury, also was wearing a neck brace in the locker room after he was injured in Week 3. He will have an MRI exam Monday.

In addition, wide receiver Trent Taylor (ribs), tight end Cole Hikutini (knee) and linebacker Elijah Lee (knee) didn’t finish the game. Tight end George Kittle left the game with an ankle injury after the 49ers’ second offensive play, but he returned and played with a noticeable limp.

Tartt’s injury comes a week after Jimmie Ward, the other starting safety, also suffered a broken forearm and was placed on injured reserve. The 49ers have moved Eric Reid back to safety from linebacker and rookie Adrian Colbert replaced Tartt on Sunday.

The 49ers have placed an NFL-high 17 players on IR.

Briefly: Hyde had career highs in catches (nine) and receiving yards (84) and his reception total was the highest by a 49ers running back since Frank Gore caught nine passes against Kansas City in 2010. … The 49ers haven’t beaten a team besides the Rams since Dec. 6, 2015. In their past 29 games, the 49ers are 3-1 against the Rams and 0-25 against the rest of the NFL.