Maiocco’s 49ers Report Card: Team grades in meltdown vs. Cardinals originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA – Defensive end Nick Bosa said he hasn’t lost confidence that the 49ers are capable of great things.

But it was another major collapse for the 49ers on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, on a day at Levi’s Stadium where temperatures on the field hovered in the triple digits.

“We won the game and gave it away,” linebacker Fred Warner said after the 49ers’ 24-23 loss to the Cardinals.

The 49ers held a 13-point halftime lead while falling to 2-3 on the season. Their early season record includes 0-2 in the NFC West and 0-3 in the NFC.

The 49ers are not in a favorable position for any of the tiebreakers.

But the 49ers still appear to have a long way to go before they’re playing at a level that suggests this is a playoff team.

Here’s the report from the 49ers’ Week 5 meltdown against the Cardinals:

Rushing foul

Jordan Mason had a good statistical game with 89 yards rushing on 14 carries, but he made a mistake that proved to be a crushing blow for the 49ers.

The 49ers had their sights set on the go-ahead touchdown with about six minutes remaining when Mason struggled for extra yards.

Cardinals linebacker Jesse Luketa came flying in with an overhand punch that knocked the ball out of Mason’s grasp.

That play proved to be a crucial turnover that opened the door for the Cardinals to cruise to the winning points.

Grade: D-plus

Violation of trespass

The 49ers scored just one touchdown on their six red zone possessions. That’s a complete failure.

Quarterback Brock Purdy completed 19 of 35 pass attempts for 244 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

One interception occurred on a ball that landed on the line of scrimmage. The other came when the 49ers failed to pick up a blitz with the game on the line.

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was a bright spot as he caught eight passes for 147 yards. Tight end George Kittle had eight receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Grade: F

Hasty defense

First, the 49ers gave up a 50-yard touchdown run to quarterback Kyler Murray on a read option to open the game.

The 49ers seemed to tighten things up for the rest of the first half before being pressed in the second half.

Cardinals running back James Conner was a force in the final 30 minutes of the game. He gained 77 yards on 13 attempts as the 49ers front seven seemed to completely wither in the heat of Levi’s Stadium.

Conner easily took in a two-point conversion attempt from 1 yard out, allowing the Cardinals to win the game with a late field goal.

Grade: F

Passing defense

The 49ers did well against Murray, the passer. Murray completed 19 of 30 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown with one interception.

Bosa perfectly read a pass from Murray late in the first half that led to a 49ers red zone opportunity that yielded just three points.

The 49ers did well on Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who caught just two passes for 36 yards.

The 49ers didn’t get much consistent pressure on Murray. Defensive end Leonard Floyd was responsible for the lone sack.

Sam Okuayinonu’s passer penalty on a touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter moved the ball to the 1-yard line, where the Cardinals decided to go for the two-point conversion.

Grade: B-min

Special teams

Ultimately, it was the 49ers who came up with a big play on special teams.

Lineman Jordan Elliott blocked a field goal attempt in the second quarter, which Deommodore Lenoir scooped up and returned 61 yards for a touchdown.

The biggest blunder for the 49ers’ special teams came on the ensuing kickoff, when Jake Moody didn’t get enough yardage for a touchback. DeeJay Dallas returned the kickoff 39 yards, sending Moody into action. He suffered a high ankle sprain during the game and could miss several games.

Grade: A-minus

Coaching

Once again, the 49ers let a big lead slip away in the second half against an NFC West opponent. In Week 3, the 49ers blew a 14-point lead against the Los Angeles Rams.

On Sunday, the 49ers allowed the Cardinals to come back from a 23-10 halftime deficit.

The 49ers haven’t made the necessary adjustments on offense to take advantage in the red zone, and the defense continues to outwork the 49ers with their pressure packages.

The 49ers did score points in the second half.

Grade: F

General

The 49ers are in serious danger of letting this season pass them by.

Yes, there are only five games left in the season. But the 49ers have the prospect of going 0-3 in the division with their short game on Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks.

The 49ers have downright ruined their games in two divisions. Of course, they have time to turn it around. But they won’t be able to win many games (or any game for that matter) for the rest of the season if they keep playing like this.

Grade: F