49ers Fall to 2-3 after blowing 4th quarter lead to Cardinals

Liam O’Connor

October 7, 2024

(Cardinals QB Kyler Murray runs for a first down)

The San Francisco 49ers' season has taken an unexpected turn just five weeks in. A 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals quickly vanished, resulting in a shocking 24-23 upset on Sunday.

Injuries have plagued the 49ers, and one costly blow came when kicker Jake Moody was hurt while attempting a tackle in the first half. With Moody unavailable, the team faced difficult decisions, like opting to go for it on fourth-and-23 rather than attempt a 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. After a long drive that resulted in a turnover on downs, this left the door open for Arizona to win the game and they took their opportunity.

Now sitting at 2-3, the 49ers are in a position they certainly did not expect to be in when the season started. This is not unfamiliar territory however. In the 2021-22 season, the 49ers started 3-5, and in the 2022-23 season, the 49ers started 3-4. Both of those teams went to the NFC championship. So while this is not a favorable start to this season, this team has the ability to come together and put together meaningful winning streaks.

A main issue in this game was the horrid red zone offense. The 49ers were a mere 1-6 in the red zone today, scoring only one touchdown by Tight End George Kittle. The 49ers currently rank 31st in the NFL in red zone td percentage at 40.9%. This is a huge drop off from their 86% red zone percentage last season that ranked number one in the league. This has been a huge reason that the 49ers have not been able to close out games this year. These struggles can be attributed to Brock Purdy missing throws in the end zone, Kyle shanahans lack of running the ball, and missing star Running Back Christian McCafferey. McCafferey led the league in Touchdowns last year with 23, and he was best when in the red zone. Just his presence is enough for a defense to change their coverage, and without him on the field, teams are able to drop more defenders in coverage which leaves little room for receivers to get open. If the 49ers want to start winning games, they will have to start playing much better in the red zone.

While the 49ers have navigated numerous injuries this season, including the absence of star running back Christian McCaffrey, backup Jordan Mason has been a solid fill-in. However, Mason’s fumble on first-and-goal with San Francisco up 23-21 in the fourth quarter turned the tide. The Cardinals recovered and led a drive down the field, sealing the game with a field goal after a clutch fourth-down conversion from Kyler Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr.

With only 1:37 left, the 49ers had a chance to respond but after only two plays, the game was over. Brock Purdy's pass was intercepted after a Cardinal blitzed was untouched up the B gap and knocked the ball up into the air which was then intercepted by Cardinals LB Kyzir White.

Under head coach Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers were 38-0 when leading by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter during the regular season. That streak came to an end against a 1-3 Cardinals team.

Despite scoring on a blocked field goal earlier in the game, the 49ers couldn’t fend off Arizona, and the injury to Moody left them feeling they needed a touchdown rather than relying on a field goal to win the game.

The 49ers will face off against the Seattle Seahawks this Thursday. Seattle is another division opponent, and within their division, the 49ers are currently 0-2, and within the NFC conference they are 0-3. If the 49ers win this game, they will be atop the NFC West. Although this is good for the team, the 49ers locker room seems to be lost. Whether coach Kyle Shanahan is starting to slowly lose the locker room or the team is starting to feel the consequences of a Super Bowl hangover, this is not a good sign for the team.