Dilfer, the 14th-year pro who has started six games this season in place of injured Alex Smith, was taken to a hospital after a hard hit from Minnesota's Charles Gordon shortly before halftime.

Dilfer was released later in the day, but coach Mike Nolan declared him doubtful. Dilfer declined comment as he left the 49ers' training complex yesterday, saying, "I can barely think, let alone talk."

"That kind of stuff always makes you think," Smith said of Dilfer's injury. "You want to be there for your teammates, but the past couple of weeks for me have been about safety and whether there's going to be any long-term damage."

San Francisco's league-worst offense and passing game have been so pathetic that third-stringer Shaun Hill's effort against Minnesota produced the club's best passer rating of the season: 106.9, or nearly twice as good as the season numbers for Smith (57.2) or Dilfer (55.1).

Hill is playing with a bandage on the dislocated index finger of his throwing hand, which swells up after practices and games. Despite the solid numbers, he led just one scoring drive and wasn't impressed with the game tape of his first real action.

"Some things made me want to throw up, and on some things the execution was poor, but the results were good," Hill said. "If I am the guy this week, and I'm getting the reps in practice, I look forward to that challenge."