SAN FRANCISCO -- The heat index at kickoff registered 97 degrees even though the thermometer facing the bay read 65 degrees Sunday. Yet, in their hottest Sunday of the season, 49er trainers pushed hot soup in the locker room. Welcome to the 49ers at Candle-sick Park.

	Garcia

Seventeen 49er players, three coaches and two trainers were ravaged by a horrible stomach virus. Trainers administered 20 IVs Sunday. Tight end Eric Johnson, for example, participated in the pre-game passing drills and then rushed to a runway toward the locker room to relieve his pain. Strong safety Tony Parrish was dizzy and needed an IV at halftime as did quarterback Jeff Garcia, who surrendered to the sickness and asked to be replaced by backup Tim Rattay with 6:34 left in the third quarter. Rattay only had a mild version of the illness.

For two weeks, critics said that the 49ers offense had been in the crapper. Literally, the Niners pulled their offense back toward respectability by using the crapper to gut through a 20-10 victory over the Redskins Sunday. With so many heads dizzy from the virus, 49ers coach Steve Mariucci, himself ailing from the virus, used a running attack to give Redskins fans that sick feeling, too.

"One third of the team was feeling like they should be in bed, but the offense put a drive together to finish the game," Mariucci said. "This is called a four-minute drill when an offense mixes passes, but mostly runs to move the sticks. Our ground game was superb today. We stayed on the ground because of the fact that Jeff wasn't feeling good, and it was successful for us."

The 49ers rushed for 252 yards on 41 carries and two touchdowns. They rushed for 120 yards in the second half on 26 carries, and finished the game with an eight-minute drive that featured 10 runs in 11 plays that marched the 49ers from their 3-yard line to the Redskins 19. 49ers fans had been complaining since the opener about an offense that averaged only 92 yards a game rushing and 270 yards of total offense.

Though their stomachs were weak, the 49ers got physical and overpowered the Redskins.

"We can run the ball whenever we want," said halfback Kevan Barlow. "We could run it every week but maybe the coaches wanted to do something with the passing that they saw in the Redskins defense. Their defense is good, but we ran right at them. We were physical. They are a fast team, but fast teams, you go right at them."

From the 49ers standpoint, it's impossible to judge the game tape of an outing when so many players were ill. This was a game of heart, and the 49ers showed it. Eight starters were among the sickest players. That list included Garcia, Johnson, Andre Carter, cornerback Ahmed Plummer, linebacker Jamie Winborn, tackle Derrick Deese, safety Tony Parrish and defensive end Chike Okeafor.

"John Engelberger was the worst," Carter said. "He was throwing up and still had pains in his stomach. It came in and it came out."

The first signs of the illness hit the team Friday. When players reported to the team hotel near the San Francisco airport, some were so sick they could barely make it to their rooms. Mariucci immediately started ordering players with the virus to go directly to their rooms and miss meetings.

At the game, sick players were given masks to prevent the spreading of the bug. Some of the healthier players wore the masks, too.

Garcia's day began at 5 a.m. when he woke up sick. A competitor, Garcia thought he could gut out the illness. He resisted getting a pre-game IV, but he struggled from the beginning.

"You could tell at the beginning of the game that he didn't seem like himself," wide receiver Terrell Owens said. "He gutted it out. He wanted to give what he could. Everybody gave good effort, and I take my hat off to them."

The Redskins made it easy for Garcia to settle into the game by having a Stephen Davis fumble set up a 7-yard Barlow touchdown run 5:16 into the first quarter. Though none of the sick knew if they could last the game, the 49ers at least knew they would work with the lead.

"I wanted to be out there and I wanted to fight through it," Garcia said. "But I was not doing the things that I normally would do. My decision-making was affected. Things got worse instead of better."

Statistically, this wasn't the real Garcia. He was 10 of 17 for 84 yards in the first half, and his quarterback rating was puny 71.7. Still, on one play, all he had to do was watch Owens try to play quarterback.

Owens ran right. His first option was to pass the ball to J.J. Stokes, but a defender hit his legs as he reached the rightside of the field. The next option was to look downfield and then maybe run.

"The Redskins were in a Cover Nine, and with my quarterback instincts, I ran it," Owens said half laughing. "I didn't have a clear shot to throw it to J.J. I was scanning the field looking for a blocker. I saw Garrison Hearst out there. Once I turned the corner, I was trying to get into the end zone.

Hearst delivered a perfect block on cornerback Fred Smoot that sprung Owens to run across the field and eventually down the left sidelines. Linebacker Jessie Armstead and safety Sam Shade were the last Redskins with a chance to stop Owens. Garcia ran to Owens and started to think about which player to block.

This time, despite his illness, he made the right decision. He delivered a cut block on Shade that allowed Owens to finish his 38-yard touchdown run and open a 14-3 lead.

"I kinda got excited," Garcia said. "I don't have the body to take on somebody high. It's one of those things where I was in great position. I made a cut block and tried to upend him. I knew Shade would out run Armstead, so I just tried to get in the position to make the block."

At halftime, Garcia went straight to the trainers for the IVs. The process takes 15 to 20 minutes so Garcia was late coming out to the field for the second half, so Rattay handled the offense for a series. The fluids didn't help. Garcia was woozy. His thinking was cloudy.

Two plays ended his day midway through the third quarter. On a third down down play from the 49ers 34, Garcia threw an interception to Champ Bailey that was over ruled by officials who spotted Bailey juggling the ball before hitting the ground. His next pass, though, was an ill-advised long one to Owens that was intercepted by Bailey.

Garcia then faced his toughest decision. He decided he had to bench himself for the good of the team.

"I don't think the coaches were thinking about taking me out, but I know that I couldn't get out of the funk," Garcia said. "I just felt like I wasn't really helping the team out, and I think it came to a point where I was compounding my mistakes. It was best that Tim get into the game and bring enthusiasm and hopefully create some positive outcome."

Rattay directed a field goal drive that opened a comfortable 20-10 lead. The victory had its costs. Guard Dave Fiore suffered what is expected to be a season-ending knee injury while linebacker Jamie Winborn is doubtful for the Rams game in two weeks with his knee injury.

"We were a sick team to start and became a banged up team," Mariucci said. "This was one of the reasons I played it very conservatively and safety the last couple of minutes."

Even the post-game celebration was safe. There weren't as many handshakes for fear of infection.

"I didn't shake any players hand," 49ers defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield said. "I didn't want to get sick."

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.