SANTA CLARA — In front of a half-empty Levi’s Stadium, the San Francisco 49ers continued to let down their dwindling fan base, falling 33-21 to the Arizona Cardinals.
Larry Fitzgerald caught two touchdown passes from Drew Stanton, the 49ers allowed a fourth straight 100-yard rusher for the first time since at least 1960 and fans were desperately chanting to see backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick enter the game.
By the way, there’s still 11 games left this season. Rock bottom is far away from happening.
To give the 49ers some credit, this primetime affair was competitive for longer than anticipated. But falling down 21-7 in the second quarter was a brutal reminder of two critical issues crippling Chip Kelly: The 49ers don’t have the firepower to mount a comeback on offense, and a now decimated defense was clearly overrated on paper during the offseason.
After 4 yards passing and several jarring overthrows in the first quarter, Blaine Gabbert found a slight rhythm in the second, leading a 10-play, 87-yard touchdown drive. Jeremy Kerley, who was plucked from the bottom of Detroit’s depth chart a week before the season began, again led the 49ers with 8 receptions for 102 yards.
But chants of “We want Kap!” poured out from the stands in the third quarter. Gabbert tossed two interceptions on the day; the latter was by Marcus Cooper who completely read the quarterback’s eyes. Sadly, Gabbert’s scrambling continues to be his impressive feat, and he rushed for 69 yards on 9 carries, including a 1-yard scamper with 1:52 left in the game. The offensive line had it’s worst outing of the season, allowing seven sacks, including a safety with 1:17 remaining.
If there is anything positive to take away from the game, it’s that the lowly Stanton didn’t exactly torch the 49ers’ defense (11-for-28, 124 yards passing, two touchdowns). Defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s unit played their part in a first half Punt-A-Thon, forcing several three-and-outs. Antoine Bethea was so jacked up, he accidentally whacked teammate Tramaine Brock on a helmet-to-helmet hit (pictured above).
But you can’t be a good defense if you can’t stop the run. David Johnson already had 103 yards rushing early in the third quarter, and finished with 157 yards and two touchdowns. It’s the first time the 49ers have allowed four straight 100-yard rushers since at least 1960, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle — and you know, that was back when the forward pass wasn’t really a big thing.
Punter Bradley Pinion truly was one of the only stars for the 49ers, averaging 49.8 yards per punt on seven different boots. With the entire country watching, field position mattered, and Pinion played a critical part in keeping this game close for the 49ers. Hey, we’re trying to be positive here.
Nickel back Chris Davis, who fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half, was carted off with a knee injury. Torrey Smith did not have a reception and was targeted just once. Carlos Hyde had a rushing touchdown in the third quarter, and is without question the team’s most reliable player five weeks into the season.
The 49ers (1-4) will travel to Buffalo two Sunday’s from now. Kelly, the players and 49ers fans will get some much needed time away from NFL football this weekend.