SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -Coach Mike Nolan gave the San Francisco 49ers the day off on Monday - which meant a nice three-day weekend for an offense that managed just 133 yards and no touchdowns Sunday.

Yet, the 49ers still could relax on their vacation because the defense worked overtime against the Minnesota Vikings, carrying the Niners (3-5) to a 9-3 victory on three field goals by Joe Nedney.

The result contradicted everything that seemed true about the 49ers so far this season. An offense that had shown steady progress from last season's miserable form reverted to incompetence, but a defense that yielded 150 points in its previous four games suddenly became impenetrable.

Nolan seemed only slightly less confused than his fans, but didn't question the result.

``Hopefully that builds some confidence for our guys in the things we've been doing,'' Nolan said while his players got their first Monday off during his tenure. ``They've continued to work hard all the way through, even in the weeks where we (gave) up the 41, 41 and 48 (points) and whatever else it was. They've continued to work hard, and it showed in the game.''

In truth, the 49ers seemed to succeed in large part because of what they stopped doing: Missing tackles, lining up in terrible defenses and playing far too many sets, which confuses even the veterans on this maligned unit.

The players said San Francisco basically played two defensive schemes, mostly abandoning the multiple defensive fronts that never seemed to work earlier in the season. The 49ers also made more substitutions than normal, shuttling players into the lineup to maintain their freshness.

And two new additions to the starting lineup paid big dividends: Brandon Moore took over for Jeff Ulbrich and immediately dominated, making a career-high 14 tackles and a sack while lining up everywhere from inside linebacker to defensive end, while safety Keith Lewis had also had a strong game in place of Mike Adams.

Though longtime starter Ulbrich might have been disappointed, he didn't show it: He immediately volunteered for special-teams duties. Both Moore and Lewis will be starters Sunday in Detroit as well, Nolan said.

``Everybody wants to win the game. There are no egos,'' said Moore, who now leads the team with 3 1/2 sacks. ``It's just good to prove to everybody that we're capable of being successful. Inside here, everybody on this defense knows how good we can be.''

San Francisco shut down Minnesota's West Coast offense with its best defensive performance in five seasons - and that was a relief to Nolan and defensive coordinator Billy Davis, who have been taking heat for their shared responsibility for a club that was on pace to allow the most points in NFL history until yielding just three points in the last 90 minutes.

``As bad as last week was, and as good as this week is, it's still a week-to-week job,'' Davis said. ``It's one week, and it was a great game. We've got to make sure we continue to grow after this game.''

San Francisco still has allowed 517 more yards, 49 more first downs, 13 more touchdowns and 95 more points than it has generated, but Nolan will be grateful for gradual improvements. Nolan knows his mass substitution plans aren't ideal, but plans to keep it up until he has 11 defenders he trusts on every play.

Although it's just one good game, the defense finally showed a competence that should help in its five road games in the season's final eight weeks. While the players relaxed, Nolan and Davis already were hard at work trying to make sure the 49ers look good again.

``It's not like we're a bunch of schmucks out there,'' linebacker Derek Smith said after the game.

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