49ers @ Cardinals live blog: Fourth quarter

GLENDALE, AZ — This is the live blog for the fourth quarter of the 49ers’ Week 3 road game against the Cardinals. I will update this frequently with information and analysis from the press box.

3:22 Jimmie Ward got beaten at the line of scrimmage by John Brown and had no help over the top on the Cardinals’ past TD.

3:24 Jonathan Martin is called for a 15-yard clipping penalty on third-and-8 from the 19. Third-and-23 from the 34. Almost out of field goal range.

3:25 Kaepernick completes a screen pass to Crabtree who gains 7. Phil Dawson will attempt a 46 yard field goal.

3:26 The Cardinals block the kick and recover the ball near midfield.

3:26 First-and-10 for the Cardinals at their 47 yard line.

3:30 Ginn fakes an end around and completes a 10-yard pass to Michael Floyd on second-and-10.

3:31 Next play, Culliver is flagged for taunting which negates a holding penalty on the Cardinals.

3:32 Two plays later, Stanton overthrows Jarron Brown deep. He beat Culliver by a few feet. Should have been a touchdown.

3:37 On second-and-30 from the 49ers’ 40, Stanton hits Fitzgerald for 24. He beat Ward. Third and 6.

3:39 First-and-goal at the 5 after Willis is flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Fitzgerald.

3:41 Fitzgerald catches a pass on a short slant and Bethea pops him and Fitzgerald fumbles. 49ers’ ball at their 5.

3:46 Jefferson blitzes up the middle and sacks Kaepernick for a loss of nine on second-and-10 from the 20.

3:47 The 49ers face third-and-20 from their 10 and they use their first timeout of the half.

3:49 Kaepernick throws over Lloyd’s head on third down. Lloyd was open past the sticks. He ran a comeback route.

3:50 Ginn returns Lee’s 56-yard punt to the Cardinals’ 42. 3:57 left.

3:53 Chris Cook is flagged for pass interference on third-and-8 from the Cardinals’ 44. First-and-10 at the 49ers’ 35.

3:55 Justin Smith stops Andre Ellington after a one-yard gain and the 49ers use their second timeout with 3:02 left.

3:57 Andre Ellington bursts through the middle of the line and gains 20 yards on third-and-6 from the 31. That’s the Cardinals’ 24th first down. First-and-10 at the 11 after the two minute warning.

4:00 Stanton takes a knee on first down and the 49ers use their final timeout.

4:00 Stanton takes on a knee on second down and the 49ers can’t stop the clock.

4:01 Stanton takes a knee on third down.

4:01 This will be a 35-yard field goal attempt. 50 seconds left.

4:03 Catanzaro makes it and the score is 23-14 with 29 seconds left.

4:04 Nine penalties have been enforced against the Niners in this game. 107 yards worth of penalties.

4:06 Game over. 49ers lose. Back at you shortly.

This article has 176 Comments

    1. I need to work with puppies, volunteer in soup kitchens, and never watch nfl football, my blood pressure can not take it, cruddy ownership win at all costs, no integrity and no accountability! Is it me or this Super Bowl or bust,mentality makes it impossible to enjoy anything in between . As much as I have always been a fan, and he may just be a flash in the pan, Drew Stanton had a moment he can be proud of as he took some hits.

  1. i can’t blame the refs – a couple of those calls were terrible, but the Niners are not executing AT ALL

      1. Get over it Crab….it WASN’T the refs…right now, we just stink…3 points in the second half of three games…that’s not the refs

  2. Is there a rule that states the Niners cannot throw the ball into the end zone?
    The penalties are stupid. Play the game and stay calm.

  3. I’d like to say the 49ers are finding new and interesting ways to lose games, but it simply wouldn’t be true. Second week in a row the team has played without discipline, committing stupid penalty after stupid penalty. They deserve to lose playing like this.

  4. guys the refs are absolutely horrible but this team is also at fault. I am getting nervous that we won’t make the playoffs if something doesn’t change. 1st down and goal from the 25 yard line and we do 3 run plays in a row.

  5. Looking forward to the post game comments……”How do you feel about giving up the conversion after having the Cardinals in 2nd and 30?”

    1. No, because he didn’t hit with the crown of his helmet. Unlike Willis, who did. Let’s stop whining about the refs and worry about the team’s lack of discipline and inability to call plays that win games.

      1. No, let’s worry about some absolutely terrible calls and the fact the NFL has a problem with the amount of penalties being called. First, Willis did not hit Stanton with the crown of his helmet. I have looked at that via replay about 5 times and no way te should have been called. Culliver gets called for talking while the Cardinals are yapping at Boldin as soon as he gets up. Please. That was an embarrassment and I hope Harbaugh says something about the officiating.

      2. Read my previous comments before chiming in, I said we lost composure and can’t blame it all on the referees.

  6. I like Kaep…..but he has not shown he can respond to a pressure situation. Lots of brain lock.

  7. I am telling something just does not look right with this team. We get to edgy and lose our composure.

  8. Our team is trying to hold on or tread water until we get our guys back. When the refs are this bad, there’s no margin for error. Add a few bone head penalties and there you have it.

  9. Many teams in this situation would look to run out the clock. The Cards know they have a good chance of picking up penalties going for the pass…

  10. they call a PI on the 3 and 8th with the hold game on the line but in the Super Bowl it was no call! Jed York what did you do to this league?

  11. The 49ers defense has regressed big time. Not so much because of Aldon and Navorro, but the secondary.

    1. Blame it on the offense. 9 rushing attempts for Gore and Hyde combined… No defense will last when you don’t run the ball. Kaepernick is not a franchise qb you can expect to pass to win the game. This is the same thing that happened last year where they went away from gore for 2 games and looked horrible.

      1. It must take a long time for the results of your eyes to get to your brain. The offensive line can not open any holes. This is not a power run team any longer. It hasn’t been for some time. The RB’s get stopped at the line of scrimmage. The only successful runner has been Kap.

        1. So anyone who blames or says something negative about your loveboy is now not a fan? Wait…so does that mean that if someone says something negative about Harbaugh or Roman they are not 49ers fans but instead Singletary and Raye fans? Get the hell out of here. When are you and all these fans going to wake up and realize the guy is not, has never been, and will never be a great qb. He comes up short when it matters most and is so full of himself that he doesn’t realize his short comings, instead he is stubborn as all hell and feels that working in the weight room and running sprints will make him a better qb. This is a huge joke and everyone is laughing at you.

  12. The NFL has it in for the Niners. The second half calls were absolutely absurd. Other than the penalty against Boldin, where the Cardinals should have been called for taunting as well, not one was legit. Not one.

  13. This defense can not stop anyone ..it is going to be a blowout next game ..good luck stopping the Eagles ….

  14. Hairball has completely lost control, this is a sloppy and very undisciplined team. Roman is a joke, once again not even trying to score a TD in the red zone. Fangio might want to watch a tape of the Arizona defense and learn how to get some pressure on the QB. Unless things turn around in a hurry, this team is going nowhere.

    1. Idiotic. Did Roman launch that headbutt? Did Roman do the taunting along the sidelines? Did the Roman throw those asinine roughing the passer flags?

  15. Cards gifted 7 first downs by penalty. 7! Can’t win when that happens, and by the way things look now, I’d count on it continuing to happen…

  16. Please. Stop blaming the refs. You sound like whiny denver bronco fans. Kaep was yet again ineffective in the 2nd half. Gonna be a dumpster fire this week.

    1. I agree. Penalties are penalties. The head butt by Boldin was the game killer. And the roughing the passer on Willis. Doesn’t matter, they will call that every time. Protecting the QB has been instituted about 4 years ago.
      My thinking is Harbaugh has lost the locker room because his leaders are the ones committing the dumb penalties.
      Niner nation is in disarray, big time, like when Singletary was coaching it feels like.

  17. 9 penalties 107 yards that the state that hurts considering that most of them came at crucial times of the game.

  18. Anybody that does not believe Harbaugh has lost this team is crazy. I say it before the season started and I’ll say it again. This team has gone through far too much off the field this year to be a success on the field. This team isn’t going to compete for a championship this year. They have too many knuckleheads on the squad. Too many undisciplined players to manage. Harbaugh already has 1 foot out of the door headed to wherever.

    1. Calm down man… They have a new secondary, missing an all pro LB, and the only successful pass rusher on the team. Next man up only works when you play sound/mistake free football. The offense is horrible in the second half of games and we all knew coming into the season they would have to pick up the slack. They have not and we are seeing the results. The bone-headed penalties are on the coaching staff but wr have seen the Niners get called for ticky-tack defensive holdings on 3rd down too much the last 2 games compared to all the other teams in the league. I mean there was offensive holding all day by AZ linemen but Harbs is finally reaping the wrath of the officials. That’s a lot to overcome when you are dealing with so much adversity. That being said the Niners are an above average team that is not good enough to make mistakes and win like they have in the past. Honestly though they have yet to play a complete game yet and last week hurts more because AZ is solid and was due to beat them eventually. Philly is a make or break must win with play-off implications. Roman better get his s@$ t together!

      1. JJJ,

        Can’t put lipstick on this pig. This is absolutely not a playoff yeam. Football is 2 halves. This team only plays 1, the worst one. The 1st one. That’s not gonna cut it in this league. I’m a diehard Niner fan but I can’t lie about this team. They don’t have the juice this year. There’s just too much chaos around this team. I said the same thing last week. It showed itself again this week.

        1. Chaos is not an excuse… AZ had chaos too, the fact remains just as there are 2 halves to a game there are 2 halves to a season. They are in the same place they were last year despite all the outside distractions.Clean up the penalties and make coaching adjustments at halftime and the team will be fine. They just need to hold on until reinforcements arrive and hope for some outside help because they have put themselves in a situation where they won’t be able to control their own destiny.

    1. They were continually stuffed at the line of scrimmage. The line sucks. Not only are they bad at pass protection but they are no better at opening holes for the backs.

      1. It will be an interesting interview with Gore though. He won’t like only getting 6 carries in a defeat.

          1. I didn’t see that. I’m not surprised at all. This one will hurt him more than most. I expect there will be a lengthy conversation between Gore and Harbaugh this week, and we’ll see the run game return to action next week.

  19. 2 minutes to mediocrity.
    Wow, this is the most undisciplined 49ers team I’ve seen since in the last 10 years.

    The 49ers attitude of “be the ultimate friend to your players” is starting to have serious repercussions on the field because the players look to have too much free reign.

    Boldin imploded with his Unsportsman like penalty that essentially killed the teams chances of scoring but the entire team and especially the coaching staff needs to be called to the carpet for not preparing the team to play in the 2nd half of games and playing poorly when they fall behind so far this season.

    The way the team has looked so after 3 games begs the question; Has Harbaugh in fact lost the locker room?

  20. Looking at the schedule is now starting to get scary, with a team like this you start to wonder who can be beat besides the Raiders? Also, two weeks in a row where are leading rusher is Krapernick, is it a coincidence that they were both losses? This team is starting to be like the Nolan/Singletary teams, very hard to watch right now.

  21. When your head coach is bit—– at the refs the whole game, every game for 3 years and counting, you’re never gonna get a call from these guys. These refs despise Harbaugh. All if then do. His act is tired and it’s time for him to go.

  22. Question:

    Is the coaching staff (Roman) incapable of making halftime adjustments or are they just stubborn? Or perhaps a combination of both?

    1. THe no huddle offense was very effective until Boldin started the mouth jawing rather than rushing to the line.

    2. It’s not even just half time adjustments they need to improve. How about not going away from what’s working?

  23. I have been a supporter of Jim Harbaugh but the lack of discipline is unacceptable. What a shame. Losing the past two games will change the season for sure like last year! This defense is not even close to be able to compete with SeaHawks.

  24. This “losing the locker room” stuff should stop. “Losing the locker room” has nothing to do with it. Its about the players, plain and simple. Harbaugh can say anything in the world and the coaches can drill into these guy’s heads all day long, but it comes down to the players being smarter.

    1. Ninergang,

      Losing the locker room is definitely in effect here. Who wants to listen to some guy the team almost traded for pick who is no under contract for the future.beyond this year. It’s time for a new regime. Harbaugh is done. This team is done.
      Now we can’t get anything for Harbaugh because he’s not under contract next year.

      1. I wouldn’t say the team is done. They have been uncharacteristically sloppy so far, especially in the second halves of games, but I wouldn’t say they’re done. I just think it has to come down to the players. Harbaugh can talk until he’s blue in the face, but if the players are going to continue to rack up penalties than it won’t matter. He can’t go on the field with them and make stop. They have to do it themselves.

  25. Last week, 1 sack in total. This week 0 sacks. Both weeks, plenty of penalties on the D to sustain drives and next to 0 pressure on the QB.

    The secondary is getting a lot of blame on here, and the penalties they’ve committed have been big ones. But its not just the secondary committing penalties. And they are being asked to make up for a complete lack of pass rush. The secondary isn’t the main problem.

    1. I agree Scooter. If this pass rush does not improve the Niners will be lucky to get in the playoffs.

      1. I’m frustrated about the poor pass rush because quality depth at OLB and DL is something I’ve been saying they needed to address 3 years in a row, and they haven’t really prioritised it. And the pass rusher they took in the highest round the past three years didn’t even suit up today (Tank).

        It came back to bite them 2 years ago when Justin Smith and Aldon got hurt late in the year. It bit them again last year with Aldon missing time and getting dinged late in the year. Its hurting them again this year without Aldon. Frustrating. The pass rush is crucial for a top line defense.

        1. I think it’s time to see what Carradine can do and just put him and Dial in an obvious passing play. They cannot be any worse than the others guys.

    1. If the officials called it even it would be 50 yards per game. It’s obvious the officials gave had enough of Harbaugh so there is a concerted effort end to call the 49ers for every penalty possible in crucial situations.

  26. This team is losing the battle in the trenches, period. Give tank an opportunity it can’t get any worse. Dial should be playing half the game.

  27. You know we can only blame the D & O coordinator so much before we turn our eyes the to the head coach. Inconsistent play calling, zero pass rush, with very little results, is starting to take it’s toll. Harbaugh needs to make some decision and make them quick.

  28. Remember people predicting Lloyd would make the team over Stevie? Kaep when throwing at Stevie: 9-9 103 yds, at Lloyd: 1-4 4yds.

  29. In my 40 years of watching professional football I have never witnessed more 1 sided and horrific officiating as I’ve witnessed in the first 3 weeks of this season. The NFL has a Tim Donaghey problem and id rather be fishing than watch the travesty that is NFL football.

    1. I hate blaming officiating because it always makes you look like an idiot fan but I agree, it’s been so dreadful and absolutely frustrating. I don’t want to be angry while watching football, and even during the Singletary era when our team was playing like garbage I wasn’t, but these first 3 weeks have left me absolutely pissed. NFL is turning into a joke.

        1. Kap is totally lost when you face him to stay in the pocket and make decisions. When he is forced to stay in the pocket, his footwork stands out like a sore thumb. He loses his mechanics completely. No quarterback can be effective without decent protecting. Kap problem is, he won’t hang in the pocket long enough. The line is horrible right now. They don’t run block or pass block. He is definitely running for his life most times. However, he has perfected being able to scan the field when he has time. His throws are always predetermined. Hes got his mind made up. He still hasn’t learned to throw away from his primary receiver.
          We can’t keep making excuses for him and talk about he does not have weapons. He has plenty of them now and can’t seem to get them the football. How can you have an arm that strong and not threaten the back half of the football field. Other teams are getting multiple pass interference calls all over the league. We don’t even get that chance because we don’t throw deep. We then deep 1 time in 3 games that I can remember. That one time was today to Brandon Loyyd?? Wow.

          1. I thought Kaep played a really solid first half, but once the game got tight, I knew it was going to be a different story. They need to get rid of the read option. Those Kaep touches should be going to Gore of Hyde to give them some rhythm. It’s as if the coaching staff thinks Kaep is the only big play threat. What about coming up with a genius game plan based on some kind of philosophy? The Seahawks, God I hate them, run a unique deception type offense with Harvin. The Niners based everything around Kaep’s running ability. When he drops back he’s still one read and done. Against a very week Dallas D, he looked like he turned the corner.
            But in the 2nd half he struggled big time against the AZ blitz. They show him the same respect as Alex Smith, which is none when it comes to the deep ball.
            That 3rd and long pass to Brandon Lloyd showed all his weak mechanics. He panicked, felt pressure that wasn’t there.
            He’s certainly not the reason the team lost today. The Defense was bleeding like a sieve, but the fact the team’s offense has disappeared in three straight games in the 2nd half is alarming.
            And now they have to face Chip Kelly’s fast paced offense. Kirk Cousins threw for 427. If Colin can at least match that, we’re in trouble.

      1. I hate blaming the refs too but the calls hasn’t been the Niners favor all year. I mean, even in the Dallas game, there were some obvious bs calls made against the Niners. Had Romo not thrown those picks the Niners is probably sitting at 0 – 3 :(

    2. Thank you Houston. AZ was awarded seven first downs by penalty. Seven!! I don’t comment much, but rather leave it to those of you on this blog who do it as intelligently and entertainingly as you do. If you happen to read this: As a longtime, true fan of the Niners and–perhaps more importantly–the game of football, have you ever seen such a methodical, blatant neutering of a defense by the officials? It felt like a freight train that couldn’t be stopped.

    3. Houston I completely agree. THis is a shame and NFL must feel embarrased. We are to be balmed on some of the bone headed calls but the officating has been absolutly oneside period.

  30. The penalties the past two weeks on this team both real and imagined have been ridiculous. At least Pereira got it right that the 1st roughing was a bad call.

    As for the team, no discipline. The lack of size and speed in the defensive backfield is staggering. No tall CBs starting, Cook used some. No blistering runners. Mainly, let’s just play mediocre guys with mediocre height and some speed – I’m looking at taunting getting beaten routinely criminal Culliver. Need a fast guy to cover guys like Brown who burnt the team twice today.

    And I’ve been saying it for years, as some others here have, desperately need to upgrade the pass rush. Next week, I want Lynch starting with bulk of the snaps and Tank Carradine to finally get a chance at real PT. QBs have days to throw it and only real pressure comes at risk of leaving guys wide open on blitzes.

    Finally, maybe the NFL does have it in for this team. The number of arrests and especially the Ray McDonald situation makes them angry PR wise.

    1. You can complain about our DB’s but we need a pass rush. DB’s are NOT supposed to stay in coverage for any longer than 3-5seconds. After that it’s extremely hard to run with a WR who may be ad-living. We NEED that pass rush you speak of. And if 4 people can’t there we need 5-6 people rushing. They pay NFL d-coordinators to come up with exotic schemes that work. We are not getting that.

      1. Read my post.

        I said that the biggest reason the team is losing and can control besides not suspending Ray McDonald is a lack of a pass rush. I hate the team is centered around so few guys who can get to the QB. The Smiths and ? Put in Tank and Lynch now.

  31. The call on Willis for helmet to helmet on the QB was bogus. The call on cook for PI was bogus.

    Is it possible Goodell has instructed the officials to screw over the 9ets because they haven’t suspended McDonald?

    1. Both were atrocious, indefensible, game-changing calls. As was the call on Skuta. True football fans know this.

    2. Houston,
      That thought has entered my mind, but I don’t want to be a conspiracy theorist given the fact that if this was in fact the case it would be extremely difficult to impossible to prove.

      The penalties are frustrating. But we have to play each game with the same attitude a boxing challenger has when facing the champion; knockout your opponent so you don’t leave the decision to the ref.

      It may look like the ref’s have it out for us, but Boldin’ boneheaded penalty at the worse possible time was inexcusable and game changing.

      1. AES, trust me i hold the coaches and the players accountable for the L however we can not have a chance to win if the NFL is going to bluntly call penalties against this team and allow other teams to mug and hold players!!!! If you remove the four bone headed penalties: Boldin, Culliver, Martin chop block and Reed face mask we still would could lose if the refs are keeping the drives against us with penalties. However if I was the coach, it would be clear if they get in a fight or pushing and shoving match for a stupid penalty they will be on the bench on the next play.

  32. Fire harbaugh! He’s never composed amidst the chaos of a gridiron battle. I didn’t once witness cardinals coach Arians losing his top. Seahawks run an offshoot of the west coast offense that would make bill Walsh proud. I just don’t see the adroit dexterity & gumption in harbaugh. Who cares if we lost today, it’s the banal, prosaic manner in which we lose that breaks my heart. We may win next week, or even the week after that, but, we don’t have the right coach/ offensive coordinator at the helm to bring home a Lombardi. Join the “Fire harbaugh” chorus. Btw cardinals should’ve had 2 int’s

      1. Stick that hillbilly hacksaw Reynolds stache’ up your trailor park behind! We’re the cerebrate, ratiocinating 49ers, not a buncha brute Neanderthals that stubbornly stick to our rigid ways!

  33. What sorta neophyte imposter of a coordinator asks for his QB to constantly execute designed college running plays? Way over his head with the one trick pony ” Alex smith” playoff run.

  34. Someone above stated zero sacks today.
    Actually, Kaepernick got dropped once,
    crucial loss of nine yards. Killed a drive.

    With Boldin’s unsportsmanlike conduct – head butt,
    how many Niner fans want to see him sitting on the
    sideline jabbering away at the Head Coach and then
    to his teammates…? Shut up and think about something.!!
    Boldin is not showing consistent team leadership.

    1. Veteran players like Bolding don’t get it apparently. The stupid stuff he got away with last year, he got penalized for today. He head butted someone in a nationally televised game last year against Carolina in the olayoffs. The refs didn’t call it and it was shown on NFL network highlights for 2 days. However, he’s dumb enough to think nobody is watching him???? He’s a selfish idiot for making that play and not accepting responsibility for it.
      We have to be leading the league in penalties and penalty yards. We are not a very good team or a very smart team. The lack of discipline that shows off the field is now showing on the field. Like it or now. These are just the facts.

      1. Good point. Selfish penalties at game changing moments. That is a reflection of poor coaching.
        There is a reason Harbaugh did not sign an extension, he knows his shelf life is expired at years end.

  35. New players, new scheme…same lousy play calling and game plan. Time to change the O coordinator.

  36. Some of you can sit there and believe this game isn’t and wasn’t rigged.
    The “headbut” I seen was no different than the tons I’ve seen in other games. And yes there was a ref there seperation players. It’s very common for players to do that. It wasn’t hard, it wasn’t brutal. It was a joke.
    Who leads the league on 3rd down penalties?
    How is it they can hold teams on 1st and 2nd downs with barely any flags then lose it on third downs almost every damn time? It’s a blantant joke!
    Arz was taunting the whole game. NOTHING!!! Like I said before it’s not the amount of penalties it’s the timing. I’m not being a whiner fan. I’m keepin this real. That was so obvious I have Dallas and raider fans telling me we got robbed and was mad because like most fans they wan to see a good game.
    Did we come out flat in the second half? Yep.
    We also got stops with bs calls going their way on every third down.

    The guy on tv said the skuta hit wasn’t illegal, it was a running qb and it wasn’t helmet to helmet.
    The Willis hit was a joke. 30 yards right there.
    We were pointin at false starts all game. One was called?
    I watched the last pass interference about 5 times today alone in other games that weren’t called.
    This game was rigged. No dount about it.
    And my take as to why?
    Well we were a top 5 defense for 3 years. Not even close to having penalties like this. We are also hook against the grain with Goddell problem with Ray rice. He asked them to sit McDonald they said no, we will let due process happen.
    Is it really a wonder why we are getting robbed on (NOT ALL) but MOST of these well timed 3rd down penalties? Yeah I’m supposed to believe our receivers are so bad they’re never held or contacted after 5 yards? Smh. This league is a discrace and I will not support it until it’s football again. What’s some good wrestlers out there in the WWE?
    I’d rather watch that. It’s way more believable.

    1. NinerMD, I said the same-thing to my friends. I have at least half of dozen friends that called me stating we got robbed, these are bear, dolphins and ravens fans. They all said the same thing you wrote. This is a mafia league and its truly a shame. I have to say if this does not stop they are going to lose a lot of fans. And yes i do believe the team must be held accountable but key penalties completely changes the dynamic of the game. If you are going to call penalties for bad language or head butts then you might want to call it for all the trash talking to instigate a reaction.

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