What went right, wrong for Arizona Cardinals in loss to San Francisco 49ers

The Arizona Cardinals got hit in the mouth, as the saying goes, and things could have gotten out of hand quickly Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

Maybe that's part of being a rebuilding team, the ability to fight back against the odds. Certainly the Cardinals did that, even though the score was lopsided, 35-16 in favor of the undefeated 49ers.

"The resilience that we showed when we got down (14-0 and 21-3) ... I thought it was good," Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said. "That locker room at halftime was good and understood how we needed to get back in the game, what we had to do in all three phases and I thought they did that. And then it just got away from us."

Christian McCaffrey was a one-man wrecking crew for the 49ers, the powerful, athletic and speedy back showing an array of abilities with four total touchdowns. Even though the Cardinals were aware of McCaffrey's skills, they still couldn't keep him from making big plays.

Cardinals showed resilience, but McCaffrey, 49ers were too much

It was those plays, plus some explosive completions from Brock Purdy to Brandon Aiyuk, that the Cardinals couldn't prevent, and in the end the 49ers simply wore down the Cardinals by grinding out a long touchdown drive.

"Depending on what coverage structures and what spacing you're in, they find ways to get him the ball," Gannon said of McCaffrey. "I know he played a good game, he's good player."

That's the thing about the 49ers. They are loaded with good players on both sides of the ball. The Cardinals are still trying to figure out what they have in many players. This was a matchup that showed those differences.

What went right for Arizona Cardinals

1. Josh Dobbs didn't turn the ball over: Dobbs has clearly figured some things out since Week 1, when he lost two fumbles. The Cardinals quarterback hasn't given away the ball via fumble or interception since that game in Washington D.C. He also ran the ball effectively with 12 carries for 48 yards, runs that kept scoring drives going.

"I think I made it difficult for us not to be one-dimensional," Dobbs said.

2. Michael Wilson had a breakout performance: The rookie from Stanford, playing just down the road from where he went to college, caught all seven of his targets for 76 yards and the first two touchdowns of his NFL career.

"He does a great job of being exactly where he's supposed to be," Dobbs said of Wilson. "He's a disciplined player and receiver. His effort is tremendous.

"We're going to need him moving forward."

3. The Cardinals only gave up one sack: Not bad against the likes of the 49ers' Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead up front. Arizona lost starting center Hjalte Froholdt for some time in the fourth quarter, as he went to the medical tent for evaluation for a concussion. But Trystan Colon stepped in for Froholdt and didn't look overwhelmed before Froholdt was able to return.

"The crowd's into it, he comes in and blocks his guy," Gannon said of Colon.

What went wrong for Arizona Cardinals

1. The defense couldn't stop McCaffrey, Aiyuk or Purdy: McCaffrey had 177 total yards, Aiyuk 148 receiving yards and Purdy was 20 for 21 for 283 yards. McCaffrey at one point hurdled Cardinals cornerback Kei'Trel Clark, Aiyuk was a tough matchup for the Cardinals' cornerbacks and Purdy turned in one of the best performances as far as accuracy in 49ers history.

Arizona Cardinals' cornerbacks Marco Wilson, Kei'Trel Clark will keep learning

2. James Conner couldn't find much running room: Conner has been the focal point of the Cardinals offense so far this season, but he didn't find much running room against the Cardinals with only 11 carries for 52 yards. Running laterally, he couldn't convert a two-point conversion, and the 49ers were quick to prevent big gains.

3. 49ers owned the red zone: San Francisco went 5 for 5 in red zone opportunities. Enough said.

What to watch this week

This coming week, Cardinals prepare for a Cincinnati Bengals team that is off to a 1-3 start and doesn't have a 100 percent healthy quarterback in Joe Burrow. Where before the season, this game might have been one many felt the Cardinals couldn't win, there is certainly an opportunity this week.

Could the Cardinals activate quarterback Kyler Murray off the PUP list this week? At least one report says no, but he is eligible to be added to the active roster as soon as Monday.

The only other player to get hurt in Sunday's game was defensive back Kris Boyd, but he was able to return after missing some game time. Froholdt's health will also need to be monitored as far the concussion protocol.

Grading the Arizona Cardinals

Offense (C-plus): Dobbs was solid and Hollywood Brown and Wilson were productive, plus the offensive line was fine and the Cardinals had a 99-yard scoring drive. But a lack of running game hurt, and the 49ers' defensive quickness at times seemed too much for the Cardinals to handle. Against the team that scored a lot of points, the offense needed to keep up and didn't.

Defense (C-minus): Aside from a second-half collapse against the New York Giants in Week 2, this was the Cardinals' worst performance so far. There were good moments, like Dennis Gardeck's fourth sack of the season, but San Francisco scored five touchdowns and ate up more than seven minutes of the fourth quarter on a 14-play touchdown drive. To be fair, plenty of teams' defenses would have a hard time against the 49ers.

Special teams (B): A fake punt for a first down, and a Matt Prater field goal were positives, but the average spot where Cardinals drives started was at their own 21-yard line.

They said it

Cardinals offensive lineman D.J. Humphries, on if it feels like the Cardinals are a 1-3 team:

"The team doesn't feel like that. But the record is the record. You can feel any way you want to feel. We are very excited about what we have going on and what we are building, but the record is the record."

Gannon, on running a fake punt with a direct snap to linebacker Zeke Turner in the second quarter:

"It's something we thought we would keep the ball in our hands and steal possession. Execution was great. That was a good call from (special teams coordinator Jeff) Rodgers there."

Up next

The Cardinals (1-3) host the Cincinnati Bengals (1-3) next Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at State Farm Stadium. The disappointing Bengals lost to the Tennessee Titans 27-3 on Sunday.

The Cardinals are 6-6 all-time against the Bengals with both teams having scored 297 total points each.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What went right, wrong for Arizona Cardinals in loss to San Francisco 49ers