5 players to blame for 49ers' despicable loss to Cardinals in Week 5

The 49ers have figured out how to cough up double-digit leads in both of their NFC West losses so far this season.

A year ago, it'd be hard to fathom the San Francisco 49ers would start off 0-2 within the NFC West after dominating the division for multiple years in a row.

But, after dropping a very winnable game in Week 3 to the Los Angeles Rams and then falling victim to another second-half collapse versus the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5, head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad is off to that unlikable start.

Making things worse, the Niners have squandered three double-digit leads in those two games. Against the Cardinals, San Francisco was completely shut out in the third and fourth quarters, too, adding even more sting to an already painful 24-23 defeat.

Speaking of pain, injuries played a major role in Sunday's debacle, highlighted by kicker Jake Moody suffering a high-ankle sprain on a would-be tackle attempt where he would have been better off letting his gunners make a play instead of trying to do so himself.

Admirable, but the effort will now force him to miss a good chunk of time while recovering from his injury.

But that isn't the only losing point. There is plenty of blame to go around for what happened amid the sweltering heat of Week 5's loss, and these five deserve the bulk of it.

No. 1: Quarterback Brock Purdy

For much of the first half, quarterback Brock Purdy was delivering a quality effort that even impressed Fox Sports' color commentator, Tom Brady. Purdy's willingness to take shots down the field against a suspect Arizona defense was paying off, and the 49ers were sustaining elongated drives and dominating the time-of-possession battle.

The second half, however, was a wholly different story.

Purdy and the offense went stagnant after halftime, and the signal-caller was responsible for tossing two interceptions off deflected passes at the line of scrimmage, including a game-sealing one on the Niners' final possession of the game.

While injuries were bad, Shanahan later told reporters it was the turnovers that fully derailed San Francisco's efforts.

Purdy's final line? Well, a 19-of-35 passing mark for 244 yards with a touchdown, two interceptions and a 62.1 rating won't exactly silence his doubters. And those turnovers were brutal.

No. 2: Running back Jordan Mason

For only the second time this season, running back Jordan Mason failed to eclipse 100 yards rushing in a game.

Now, the red birds began deploying a 6-1 defensive front in the second half to take away Mason's rushing lanes. Coupled with Purdy's second-half passing struggles, the new defensive deployment undermined nearly everything the 49ers were trying to do on offense at that point.

Sure, Mason still finished with 89 rush yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry, even though the bulk of those numbers took place in the first two quarters.

But, like Purdy, Mason's late-game fumble was about as costly as it gets, as the Cardinals subsequently took the final lead in the game after recovering the loose ball on that particular play.

Had Mason held onto the ball, the 49ers likely would have iced the game and pulled off a victory.

No. 3: Linebacker De'Vondre Campbell

Each week, if seems as if linebacker De'Vondre Campbell is directly involved in a play that goes entirely against the Niners.

In Week 5, Campbell was primarily responsible for not setting the edge on quarterback Kyler Murray's 50-yard touchdown run during Arizona's opening possession. If you watch No. 59 on the strong side of the formation, you'll see Campbell get engaged too far inside, allowing Murray to find an easy lane to scoot well into San Francisco's defensive backfield:

Granted, Murray's touchdown isn't entirely on Campbell, but that's where the defensive plan collapsed.

Making things worse, Campbell is known for being a better run defender than a coverage backer. Coupled with Cardinals running back James Conner taking over the game after halftime, Campbell's lack of positive impact rises to the surface even more.

No. 4: Safety Talanoa Hufanga

On the very same play shown above, safety Talanoa Hufanga can be seen crashing down toward the interior well after Murray has made the decision to attack the strong side of the formation outside.

Why?

Sure, Hufanga has a history of making impact plays toward the line of scrimmage. But, given it's his job to serve at the last line of the defense to prevent explosive plays, gaffing on this particular one proved costly.

On top of that, Hufanga's tackling abilities seem to have taken a serious hit, too, and it was a defensive-wide issue throughout the game. Especially on Conner, who broke one against Hufanga prior to the latter exiting the contest with a wrist injury.

Overall, the 49ers' crop of safeties is having a tough time tackling this season.

No. 5: Tight end George Kittle

It's not a full-blown bad effort here by tight end George Kittle, but there were more net-negative plays than positive ones, although Kittle accounted for Purdy's lone passing touchdown and remains the Niners' best weapon in an otherwise anemic red-zone offense.

On the Mason fumble, Kittle blocked his man into left tackle Trent Williams, which effectively allowed the play to collapse. Earlier, when San Francisco couldn't kick a field goal on 4th-and-23 deep inside Arizona territory, Kittle dropped a very catchable pass that would have easily moved the line of scrimmage 15-plus yards deeper, thereby forcing the Cardinals to execute a drive that would have needed more than the 73 yards they eventually gained on that crucial fourth-quarter touchdown.

Then, during the first of Purdy's two interceptions, Kittle could have made the decision to simply box out the intercepting Arizona player (no pass interference would have been called since it was a tipped pass).

Instead, the tight end reacted far too slow.

At least Kittle and the rest of the Niners won't have too long to dwell on what went wrong, given they all play on a short week against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football.

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