49ers finish with a 38-7 rout of Arizona

(01-02) 21:23 PST -- The 49ers took the Bay Bridge to Nowhere in Sunday's season finale, and they made it worth the drive.

They came not knowing when the looming NFL lockout will let them play again, they did it not knowing who their head coach will be, and they did it not knowing if the next general manager will let them stick around.

But at least they enjoyed the drive as they rolled over the Cardinals 38-7 at Candlestick Park.

What happens next, and when it happens, is anyone's guess.

"We, as players, have to adapt, because you're never certain who's going to be here," cornerback Nate Clements said. "There are a lot of moving parts in this deal, but I think guys are just happy that we can end on a good note."

That, they did. The 49ers finished 6-10 and out of the playoffs for the eighth straight year, but there are worse ways to plow into the offseason.

Just ask the Cardinals, who sat there and watched the 49ers dunk interim head coach Jim Tomsula with a barrel of sports drink.

"I've got to say, they came out to play today," Arizona cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said. "They came out fired up."

Tomsula wouldn't let the 49ers do it any other way. Not on his watch, even if it was a one-week watch between Mike Singletary's firing and the offseason hunt for his replacement.

Team meetings were animated. Practices were high-energy. Jim Nobody From Nowhere, as Tomsula puts it, had this team keeping its spoon in its own soup, as he also said, instead of worrying about the chaos all around the organization.

Have fun already, player after player said they were told.

"That was one of the biggest deals," Alex Smith said. "He thought the whole year we played cautious and didn't enjoy the game. We did kind of let loose tonight."

For wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., that meant running down Smith's 37-yard pass in double coverage for his first receiving touchdown of the year in the first quarter.

The 49ers signed Ginn and his top-end speed to stretch the defense. Only now did they figure out a way to feed him on the end-zone side of the field.

"I think the fact we could let our hair down, everybody could play comfortably and just enjoy the game," Ginn said.

For tight end Vernon Davis, that meant running his signature seam route for a 59-yard touchdown pass to open the second half, just for old times' sake with Smith.

Niners fans recognized the play. It happened time and again last year. Davis broke up the middle past a linebacker, caught a deep ball over the top of the defense, then turned on the speed for a touchdown.

"We have not been able to go up the seams lately," said Davis, who had three catches for 96 yards. "It was nice getting it back."

For running back Brian Westbrook, it meant running in two touchdowns for the first time since November 2008. The two 6-yard runs in the third quarter turned a 17-7 game into a 31-7 laugher with almost 22 minutes left in the season.

Thirteen carries, 79 yards, all for a player who was hardly used until Frank Gore fractured his hip after Thanksgiving.

"We had a lot left in the tank," Westbrook said. "We didn't play real well all season, but we played pretty good today."

For nickel cornerback Tarell Brown, it meant running back his first interception of the year 62 yards for his first career touchdown in the fourth quarter.

For outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks, it meant intercepting his first career pass and returning it 8 yards short of a touchdown in the third quarter.

Brown has been picked on in coverage all year. Brooks has picked on himself ever since he dropped an easy touchdown and an almost sure touchdown at San Diego last month.

"I redeemed myself," Brooks said. "It was all about fun for us. Just let loose, try not to be uptight, not try to be a dictator over other coaches, let everyone do their thing."

Defensive end Justin Smith's own thing was three sacks before he flies to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl. Alex Smith's own thing was posting a 107.8 passer rating with 276 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

All of this did nothing to save this season, or ensure better days ahead. But after all this team has been through, the 49ers will take one for the road, wherever that road leads.

"I'm happy we won the game, but to know that you're packing it up, this is it and now I've got to go look at everybody else play ... that sucks," linebacker Takeo Spikes said.

Scott Ostler: Answers to the questions about the 49ers' future.

Consolation prize: The 49ers will have the seventh pick in the 2011 NFL draft. B9

E-mail David White at dwhite@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle