49ers vs. Cardinals: Grading San Francisco’s Week 4 efforts

Despite an exceptional defensive effort, it was all for nothing as the San Francisco 49ers dropped their fourth consecutive game to open the 2017 season. Here are the full postgame grades and analysis from the matchup.

In their Week 4 road game with the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers offense failed to deliver and wasted a stellar performance by the defensive unit.

Time and time again, the 49ers squandered chances to win. There were numerous occasions for San Francisco to seize hold of the game, but they never solidified a firm grasp.

Larry Fitzgerald’s 19-yard touchdown reception won it in overtime for the Cardinals, a contest that saw nine made field goals.

Now, San Francisco sits at 0-4 to begin the 2017 campaign and are in a serious hole at the quarter point. What should be noted is that while yes this team is winless, the context of those losses should be considered when evaluating the 49ers.

San Francisco could easily be 2-2, yet both time the offense threw away elite displays by the defense (Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks). The 49ers are one of two NFC teams who haven’t won a game, joining the New York Giants.

In total, there are four teams in the NFL who don’t have a win — the two team just mentioned, plus the Los Angeles Chargers and the Cleveland Browns. So, the 49ers aren’t alone in the winless department.

Here are the full grades and analysis from San Francisco’s Week 4 matchup.

Editor’s note: All statistics gathered from ESPN.