The San Francisco 49ers suffered a painful defeat on Sunday, losing 24-23 to the Arizona Cardinals after squandering a 13-point halftime lead.
Despite leading 23-10 at the break, the 49ers went scoreless in the second half, giving up 14 unanswered points and falling to 2-3 on the season.
Sure, the Niners had plenty of injuries, but the loss was still quite shocking all things considered.
Defensive end Nick Bosa, reflecting on the disappointing performance, has tried to find some optimism as the team attempts to regroup.
“I think it’s kind of a blessing in disguise that we’re playing on Thursday,” Bosa said.
His sentiment has been echoed by many of his teammates as they look ahead to their upcoming game against the rival Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football.
With the short turnaround, the team won’t have to dwell on the loss for long. As a matter of fact, it’s safe to assume it’s already out of their systems (for the most part).
The defeat marked the second time this season that San Francisco has let a double-digit lead slip away. In Week 3, the 49ers saw a 14-point third-quarter advantage evaporate in a 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
These collapses have dropped the team to third place in the NFC West, though they remain just one game behind the division-leading Seahawks (3-2).
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed his frustration after the game but acknowledged that the team has no choice but to quickly regroup.
“We’d love to sit here and get pissed,” Shanahan said. “We’d love to be able to do something about that, what just happened. But you can’t do anything about these games once they end.
“I told the guys the next time we’ll be able to do something is Thursday and it’s better to only have to wait until Thursday than to have to wait until next Sunday.”
Shanahan, like his players, seems to be focusing on the quick turnaround as an opportunity for redemption.
The Week 6 matchup against Seattle gives the 49ers a chance to right the ship and reclaim the top spot in the NFC West.
The collapse on Sunday was particularly frustrating for Shanahan, who struggled to explain how his team has now blown significant leads in back-to-back divisional games.
“I think we had a 13-point [lead] and a [14-point lead] in the other. By no means should we be able to give that away,” he said. “Always will come back to turnovers, in my opinion. There are other things you can do to overcome them.
“Talked about last night how we thought a key to this game would be turnovers and that’s exactly what the first half was,” he added. “Gave us a huge advantage and then it flipped in the second half and we need to do that stuff to win.”
Bosa called the showdown against Seattle a “must-win.”
While it’s not exactly a MUST-win, having that mindset is clearly the right approach. Everyone – especially the Seahawks – can expect a ticked-off Niners team come Thursday night.
At the end of the day, it isn’t nearly the time to panic in San Francisco. While the injuries are undoubtedly concerning, the fact of the matter is the 49ers remain one of the best teams in the entire league.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the Niners? … Will they be able to turn things around and regain their old dominant form???