San Francisco Stumbles at the End, Loses to Arizona, 29-24

'Niners come oh-so-close in loss to Cards

Victory existed before the 49ers, merely two yards away—a short run or pass to reach the end zone and steal a victory away from the home Cardinals. Down 29-24 with 1:06 left, San Francisco put together a gutsy drive to march deep into Arizona territory. New starting quarterback Shaun Hill connected with receiver Jason Hill, which put the 49ers (2-7) on the doorstep of scoring a game-winning touchdown. On the next play, Frank Gore broke for the outside, but slipped short of the goal line. Mass confusion ensued, players rushed on and off the field, the clock ticked and a hasty handoff to fullback Michael Robinson on a run up the middle never had a chance. And the game ended, with the 49ers now losers of six-straight games.

The conclusion provided a glimpse into how dysfunctional the San Francisco franchise has become, a dysfunction, which exists in both the management and coaching staffs. As the seconds expired, neither Hill nor offensive coordinator Mike Martz or head coach Mike Singletary appeared to know what to do or what play to call. Martz blamed the referees for a bad spot, while Singletary put the responsibility on his coordinator for the questionable play call. Apparently, Martz thought the ball had been put at the one-yard line, when it actually had been placed at the 21/2 yard line. Either way, a run up the gut wasn’t the right call, especially with your back-up fullback.

Starting for the first time this season, Hill played decent, but unspectacularly. He went 19-for-40 for 217 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and one fumble. Hill connected with eight different receivers and utilized the team’s younger pass catchers in Hill and Josh Morgan. He scrambled out of trouble when needed and threw the ball away to retain possession. And he drove the team to within a yard of a victory during the last minute of action. Unless he fails miserably, Hill should start the rest of the season, but in the end, neither he nor J.T. O’Sullivan is the long-term answer at quarterback for San Francisco. Hill is simply the safer bet, a conservative quarterback with an average arm who’ll hit the open man and won’t take too many chances on the field. An ill-advised shuffle pass to Gore represented his only blatant blunder of the night.

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The team’s defense played well at times, especially limiting Larry Fitzgerald to 49 yards, but allowed Anquan Boldin to catch seven balls for 92 yards and two touchdowns. The defense caused Arizona to go three-and-out, which allowed the 49ers’ offense to take the field for one last fourth quarter drive. The drive ended in frustration, but throughout—as Hill navigated his team down the field—it offered great expectations and the promise of a grand victory.

With a home contest against the Rams next, the 49ers need to snap their losing streak now, because the second half is filled with quality teams such as the Cowboys, Jets and Redskins. These two remaining match-ups against St. Louis might be San Francisco’s best opportunity to notch a win before the season ends.

A loss to the miserable Rams would sink the 49ers to a new low. At home, against a 2-7 team, this is a must win, a game to get healthy for four quarters before playing tougher opponents down the line. A heavy dose of Gore and if Hill can pass as he did against Arizona, without the two interceptions and fumble, the 49ers should come away victorious. But, nothing is certain for San Francisco, which means anything is possible.

By Jim Bucci
ProFootball-fans.com San Francisco 49ers Correspondent