On the plus side, the 49ers didn’t turn the ball over Sunday.
San Francisco, which entered Sunday’s game 1-6 and as the worst team in the NFL in turnover margin at minus-15, didn’t lose a fumble or throw an interception, a big change from recent games.
However, the outcome was the same – another loss. This one, a last-minute, 18-15 decision to the Cardinals in Arizona.
The Niners held a 15-10 lead until late in the fourth quarter when Arizona drove from its own 27 with 2:16 remaining to score a touchdown on Josh Rosen’s 9-yard pass to Christian Kirk with 39 seconds left. Rosen then hit Larry Fitzgerald for the two-point conversion and an 18-15 lead.
The 49ers had one last chance to get within field-goal range and tie the game to send it to overtime, but time ran out.
In this game, it was the Cardinals who lost the turnover battle, turning the ball over twice. Yet Arizona was efficient when it needed to be.
It was a baseball-like score at halftime with the 49ers leading 5-3 on a safety and field goal. San Francisco then went up 15-3 on a touchdown pass from C.J. Beathard to Marquise Goodwin of 55 yards and a Robbie Gould 20-yard field goal, before Arizona rallied for two fourth quarter TDs to pull out the win. Rosen connected with Fitzgerald for 13 yards for the first score before Rosen hit Kirk for the winning score.
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Beathard was 14-of-28 for 190 yards and one TD. Kendrick Bourne was his favorite target, pulling in seven catches for 71 yards. The 49ers could not run the ball, however, with just 107 yards on the ground.
With the win, Arizona moves ahead of the 49ers out of last place in the NFC West at 2-6. The 49ers fall to 1-7.
San Francisco next plays Thursday night against 1-6 Oakland at Levi’s Stadium. The loser could be the leader for the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft.
