Two weeks ago, the 49ers traveled north from Los Angeles in a stunned daze after coughing up what had looked like a sure win against the Rams. San Francisco said all the right things in the days following. Coaches and players assured fans that they’d learn from it, and that while these things happen, they shouldn’t more than once.
Fast forward two weeks, and it happened again. In similarly disgusting fashion. The 49ers took a 13-point halftime lead and a 10-point 4th quarter lead and turned it into another divisional loss. The Niners did not score in the second half as Arizona put up 14 to steal a win from the defending NFC champions.
Are blown leads becoming a Niners issue? A Kyle Shanahan issue? The question is absolutely fair. Murph and Markus spent much of Monday morning lamenting the trend.
In three of its last four losses, the Rams and Cardinals losses this year and Super Bowl 58, San Francisco has let double digit leads slip away. There have been unique circumstances in each, but the outcomes have been painfully similar.
From the infirmary
The 49ers have had less than ideal injury luck in 2024 a year after enjoying very good fortune on that front in 2023. Sunday wasn’t much different than the preseason and the first four weeks. Most notably, kicker Jake Moody suffered a high ankle sprain while making a tackle on a first half kickoff. Fred Warner didn’t get hurt during the game, but he looked a far cry from his usual dominant self after dealing with an ankle issue all week long.
Shanahan announced on Monday morning that defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos underwent a minor knee surgery on Friday. He will miss 4-8 weeks, according to the head coach.
The dead zone
That’s exactly what the red zone has been for the 49ers this season. SF is 30th in the NFL in red zone efficiency. The Niners found the end zone just once on six red zone trips Sunday. On five of those six, they had goal to go opportunities inside the 10. The ineptitude while in scoring range has been shocking.
Greg Papa illustrated the struggles at the top of Papa and Lund on Monday morning.
The Niners are second in the NFL in total trips to the red zone with 22. Which makes that 30th ranking in red zone efficiency especially frustrating.
The vast majority of the time, a short week and a Thursday night football game are a nuisance for players and coaches. Less prep time, less recovery time, and a familiar opponent make up a bad recipe. But after a gut-wrenching loss, it’s often beneficial for teams to turn around and play right away.
The Good:
It’s tough to focus on positives after a loss like this, but there was a glaring good. Brandon Aiyuk finally looked like himself. He was open, often. And Purdy was peppering him, often. Aiyuk caught eight passes for 147 yards. Although he didn’t find the end zone, he looked like the All-Pro Aiyuk.