There was a hint of "Monday Night Football" Syndrome, though, as best presented by nickel back Tarell Brown.

"We're the only ones playing, the whole league is watching us, and it was good for us to show them what we could do," he said after he and his mates put a breathtaking beatdown upon the Cardinals in San Francisco's 24-9 victory Monday night. "We wanted to show we were good, that we could make a difference, and we did that."

Seven times, in fact. More turnovers than the Cardinals had error-free possessions, in fact. Between safety Dashon Goldson, who created three turnovers, Brown, Patrick Willis, Mark Roman, Ahmad Brooks, Parys Haralson, Justin Smith and the many defenders who merely shut down one of the game's most profound passing attacks - well, it's a wonder the 49ers ended up with only 24 points.

That seems like a bit of gratuitous carping, although it clearly means that the offense is still drafting behind the defense in terms of contribution.

Still, this was one of those rare nights in 49ers history when the members of the defense actually grabbed the audience by the neck and said, "You will watch us, and you will not avert your eyes. This is our night, and you will enjoy watching it almost as much as we enjoy forcing it upon you."

The defense was so good so many times that it overshadowed Frank Gore's latest reversal of fortune. One game after becoming a full-on afterthought in the San Francisco attack, he crushed the Arizona defense with 167 yards in 25 carries, re-asserting himself as the go-to guy in an offense still groping for a permanent identity. On a night when Alex Smith was ordinary and Vernon Davis couldn't make his hands face the right way, Gore reminded us what he has left, and how he can manifest it against the right team, used the right way.

In other words, he will have his share of twos and fews, runs that go nowhere in particular, and then he will break the 36-yarder, the 31-yarder, the 23-yarder or the 10-, the 8- and the 5-yarder. He is not steady, he achieves in bursts, and as the night progressed, he was allowed to do that.

In fairness, he was allowed to do it against an Arizona defense that is not traditionally good against the run and in any event, was on the field for almost 37 minutes.

But there we are, falling into the offense trap. This win had nothing to do with the offense. It didn't have all that much to do with the 49ers' still-flickering postseason hopes. It had to do with establishing again and perhaps for good that the 49ers excel when they defend well, and fail dismally when they don't.

And Monday was the best show they've given in years. Particularly Goldson, the third-year safety from Washington who is your classic all-in gambler and three weeks earlier had been chastised for overaggressiveness against Green Bay.

"When I'm out there, I play with no hesitation in my game," he said. "When I see my shots, I take them. Sometimes I miss, sometimes I make them, but I'll tell you what: I'm going to make more than I miss, and I did tonight."

"We have a good group," Roman said, "and we wanted this to be a showcase for us. We didn't really do anything dramatically different than what we've done before, but we got a chance to show the world, that's all."

Of course, each individual draws his or her own lesson from what he or she sees. Arizona fans will curse their team for its disgraceful carelessness. Alex Smith fans will debate whether this was a step back in his stride toward Canton. Frank Gore fans will bring the I-told-you-so like a full-on safety blitz.

But seven turnovers renders every other observation moot. Seven turnovers makes a game a potential rout. Seven turnovers are their own explanation, and the only argument is over how you split up the credit.

"Oh, it all started with the D-line," Brown said. "They pressured Warner, didn't give him time to make his reads and do what he likes to do. You have to give all the credit to them."

"I think they were just prepared for what they were going to see," defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said. "We've played Arizona enough over the years that we know what they're going to do, and they pretty much know what we want to do."

"Everybody brought it," cornerback/laureate Dre' Bly said. "Everybody."

E-mail Ray Ratto at rratto@sfchronicle.com.