49ers blow another double-digit lead in loss to Arizona

What do the San Francisco 49ers and a cookie have in common?

Both crumble when the pressure is great. For the second time this season, the 49ers blew another double-digit lead and lost 24-23 to the Arizona Cardinals.

The red zone woes continued again for the 49ers. They settled for field goals on three of their red zone trips. To make matters worse, they lost kicker Jake Moody after he attempted to make a tackle in kickoff coverage.

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact issues, but one thing is certain: the 49ers need to do something different. Whatever they did, it doesn’t work. They cannot continue to be such a mediocre team in the red zone. You have far too much talent to be so inefficient.

There won’t be a touchdown on every trip, but it has to be a lot better than it is. This is why the 49ers have difficulty eliminating teams. It happened in this game. If the 49ers could have scored one more touchdown on one of their red zone trips, they would have easily won this game. Instead, they allowed the Cardinals to fight a contentious battle.

The good thing is that Brandon Aiyuk woke up. He finally had his explosive game, hauling in eight catches for 147 yards. It was a reminder of why the 49ers gave him a lucrative contract extension. Aiyuk is a great player. He is their best receiver who can get past defenders at will. Despite his small numbers, he managed to do this all season long.

Today he was finally able to reconcile his breakup with the statistics. Expect Aiyuk to continue his amazing form. The 49ers will need him because of their ability to successfully generate more explosive plays.

As for the rest of the offense, only George Kittle is worth mentioning. He played really well and is on track for another All-Pro season. Jordan Mason also played well, averaging over six yards per carry. However, Mason fumbled the ball at a critical moment when the 49ers were in the red zone. Imagine that.

Right now the 49ers are NOT a playoff caliber team and it will take a lot for them to change that mindset.