The San Francisco 49ers didn’t get off to a great start. The offense went three-and-out, and after gaining 22 yards to Trey McBride, Kyler Murray raced around the edge and reached the end zone before blaming the defense.
It didn’t take long for the offensive line to respond. Brandon Aiyuk caught a pass for 53 yards, including yards after the catch, with George Kittle running alongside and blocking it.
Deebo Samuel’s 11-yard reception brought the 49ers within 10 yards of Arizona. But after a third-down sack, red zone issues cost the team yet again, and the offense had to settle for a field goal.
After being forced into a three-and-out, the offense didn’t suffer on its next trip to the red zone. Purdy found Aiyuk for 16 yards, then a 19-yard gain, then scrambled for a first down. On third-and-5 from the Cardinals’ own 30-yard line, Jauan Jennings made his usual play and converted for a 13-yard gain. George Kittle scored in the end zone to give the Niners a 10-7 lead.
But the Cardinals’ offense had proven it could move the ball. Murray hit Marvin Harrison Jr. on 3rd-and-3 with a perfect back shoulder fade for a 22-yard gain. Talanoa Hufanga missed a tackle on a 2nd-and-10 screen, giving Arizona a first down. However, consecutive fumbles by McBride forced Arizona to settle for three points, leaving the score tied at 10.
Hufanga left the game with an apparent problem with his right wrist and walked to the locker room. Hoofanga continues to be plagued by injuries.
After the first few drives, Aiyuk had 91 of Purdy’s 119 passing yards. It was Jordan Mason’s turn to take possession of the fourth ball. His longest career run was 34 yards. Believe it or not, this was the 49ers’ first run of 30+ yards this season.
After Jake Brendel committed a holding penalty on third-and-11, Purdy found Aiyuk again for a 17-yard gain. However, the offense stalled again inside the 10-yard line. On 3rd & 2, Purdy was forced to scramble and couldn’t find an open receiver. So there were three trips to the red zone, but only one touchdown. The score was now 13-10.
The Cardinals attacked the 49ers defense with an explosive play after giving up an encroachment penalty on Jordan Elliott. Trey McBride got behind the defense and scored 34 points. Murray’s pass was incomplete on 3rd-and-6 from the 28-yard line after Isaac Iadam covered Harrison nicely. Yiadom’s pass breakup led to a 45-yard field goal.
Elliott blocked a Chad Ryland attempt and Deomodore Lenoir converted the shot, returning the kick 61 yards for a touchdown to give San Francisco a 20-10 lead. It was a pretty powerful swing.
Jake Moody is tackled on the ensuing kickoff. That’s never a good thing. At this time, Moody fell and immediately grabbed his right ankle. He was helped to his feet and gingerly walked off the field before being carted to the locker room. The backup kicker is Mitch Wishnowski.
Malik Mustafa made a nice pass breakup to force a 3rd-and-9, but Kyler got the first down and the Cardinals were within field goal range again. Mustafa replaced Hufanga, who was ruled out.
On second-and-6 from the 24th inning, Nick Bosa made a great play reading a swinging screen and making an interception. The 49ers were aggressive and needed a play to get Moody out for a touchdown. From Arizona’s 40, Purdy scrambled 12 yards and found Kittle on third down for 14 yards, and we were once again down to 3rd-and-goal. Purdy tried to find Jennings to no avail.
Wisznovski made his first career field goal, giving the 49ers a 23-10 lead at halftime.
Leonard Floyd sacked Murray to start the second half, and the Cardinals immediately punted. However, it wasn’t long before their offense was back on the field.
After the Purdy and Aiyuk combo made a 3rd & 12, Purdy’s pass slanted straight into the air, leading to an interception. However, the defense held out and allowed most of the runs, limiting Arizona to just a field goal, making the score 23-13.
Purdy had one of his signature moments of magic in the pocket, evading multiple rushers and scrambling for a first down. Mason had already run 20 yards on this drive. But on the 2nd and 14th, Purdy was unable to perform another miracle and was fired. After a half-hearted pass, he ended up on 4th and 23rd base, forcing the Niners to take the fight.
The promising drive ended in no points, and the score remained a 10-point game. Up until this point, the Niners had dominated possession time for more than 10 minutes.
The 49ers had a chance to force a long third down, but Ziair Brown removed Conner in the open field. Arizona gained 10, 10, 11 on the ensuing drive, again erasing the Niners’ defensive success on early downs.
Conner had been playing well and was starting to wear down on defense, as evidenced by his 14-yard run from San Francisco’s own 2-yard line to set up a 1st-and-goal. A touchdown and two-point conversion made the score 23-21, and we were right on the nail on the head.
Shanahan attempted a reverse, but it failed as the offense seemed to get too cute. This came after a 9-yard gain and a 20-yard gain after Mason forced the Cardinals into the ground. On 2nd-and-10, Purdy found Aiyuk for another 20 yards.
The 49ers once again found themselves in a 3-and-6 situation inside the red zone. Kittle evaded the tackle and kept the offense on the field, giving the Niners a goal-to-go situation. Jordan Mason fumbled on the next play and the defense, which allowed scores on consecutive drives, had to hold or the Cardinals would take the lead.
It was the second time in history that the 49ers had the ball inside Arizona’s own 30-yard line and failed to score. It will come back to haunt you every day.
Conner had a good start to the drive, gaining gains of 6, 3 and 8 yards. Murray got open deep after Michael Wilson got Chavarius Ward on a double move, but he overshot Wilson.
On 4th and 5, with the game essentially decided, Murray unblocked Floyd and threw a fadeaway, and Harrison took it down with a first down reception. Isaac Yiadom was there for the interview. Conner’s run just before the two-minute warning actually helped the 49ers in their hunt for a first down.
The offense would play from San Francisco’s 27-yard line with 1:32 to play. Ideally, you should be within the 15-yard line. They knew Mitch Wishnowski’s field. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to see Wisznovsky.
Mason missed the blitz pickup and appeared to leave an unblocked rusher behind. The player hit Purdy, and the pass went high into the air, resulting in an interception.
This is the second time in three games this season that the 49ers lost despite having a winning probability of over 85 percent midway through the fourth quarter. Usually something like this happens once a season, but the 49ers found a way to win two division games in less than a month.
They are currently 2-3 and have a short week ahead of them as they take on the Seattle Seahawks this Thursday.
