Maiocco's 49ers Report Card: Team grades in the Meltdown against the Cardinals

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 faith 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 when on-field temperatures hovered around triple digits.

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

The 49ers blew a 13-point halftime lead while falling to 2-3 on the season. Their record to start the season 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 appear to have a long way to go before they're playing at a level that suggests they're a playoff team.

Here's the report on the 49ers' Week 5 loss to the Cardinals:

Rushing offense

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

With about six minutes left, the 49ers had their sights set on the game-winning touchdown as Mason struggled for extra yards.

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

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

Grade: D-plus

Passing offense

The 49ers scored just one touchdown on their six red zone possessions. This is a complete failure.

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

An interception resulted in a ball being tipped at the line of scrimmage. The other came when the 49ers failed to mount 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

Rushing defense

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

The 49ers seemed to do everything right for the rest of the first half before getting pushed around 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 wither completely in the heat of Levi's Stadium.

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

Grade: F

Appropriate defense

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

Bosa read a Murray screen pass perfectly late in the first half, leading to a chance for the 49ers in the red zone that only yielded three points.

The 49ers did a good job with 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 only 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 went for the two-point conversion.

Grade: B-minus

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 that Deommodore Lenoir picked up and returned 61 yards for a touchdown.

The 49ers' biggest special teams mistake came on the ensuing kickoff when Jake Moody didn't get enough distance for a touchback. DeeJay Dallas returned the kickoff 39 yards, which brought Moody into the action. During the game, he sustained an upper ankle sprain and was able to miss several games.

Grade: A-minus

Coaching

Again, the 49ers let a big lead slip 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 let the Cardinals come back from a 23-10 halftime deficit.

The 49ers haven't made the necessary adjustments on offense to capitalize on the red zone, and the defense continues to outsmart the 49ers with their pressure packages.

The 49ers scored no points in the second half.

Grade: F

In total

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

Yes, there are only five games this season. But the 49ers face the prospect of going 0-3 in the division heading into Thursday night's short game at the Seattle Seahawks.

The 49ers completely blew their two division games. Of course you have time to turn things around. But if they continue like this, they won't be able to win many games – or any games at all – for the rest of the season.

Grade: F