Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa and the 49ers need to hustle to get over this loss

There were times when the San Francisco 49ers did that wanted stewing after a defeat. After the loss to the Rams in Week 2, Nick Bosa suggested that his teammates needed to “feel the loss.”

But there was no such incident on Sunday afternoon, when the 49ers blew a 13-point lead en route to a 24-23 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

In the locker room, head coach Kyle Shanahan actually encouraged players to leave as quickly as possible and rest at home. There's little time to ponder as there's a game against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night with first place in the NFC West at stake.

“We would like to sit here and get mad,” Shanahan said. “But there’s nothing you can do about these games once they’re over. I told the boys that next time we can do something on Thursday and that it's better to just wait until Thursday than until next Sunday. It will come quickly.”

That's why hydration and recovery are paramount for the 49ers, who were clearly exhausted at the end of a contest in temperatures as high as 37 degrees.

Arizona running back James Conner, for example, managed just 9 rushing yards in the first half before rushing for 77 yards after halftime – including 51 yards on 5.7 yards per carry in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals also showed clear signs of fatigue, but were unable to turn the ball over down the stretch. The 49ers did that three times, after two tip interceptions by quarterback Brock Purdy and a fumble by running back Jordan Mason, during a scoreless second half that left their defense exposed.

Sunday's failures have only increased the urgency of the upcoming matchup against Seattle (3-2), which lost 29-20 at home to the New York Giants on Sunday.

“I think we need to start a new chapter here,” said 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa, who struck a different tone after the recent loss to a division opponent. “It’s pretty clear what happened and why we lost. It’s a blessing that we’re playing on Thursday.”

Still, it's fair to wonder how the 49ers (2-3) can make up for the disjointed play that has marred all three of their losses this season.

Against the Cardinals, the 49ers' 32nd-ranked special teams unit actually delivered a positive splash play for a change. That happened when defensive tackle Jordan Elliott blocked an Arizona field goal in the second quarter that cornerback Deommodore Lenoir returned for a touchdown.

“Early on that drive I had an offside call and I felt like I had to make up for it,” Elliott said in the locker room. “So I feel like I did everything I needed to do to prevent that.”

But in the same quarter, 49ers kicker Jake Moody left the game. He suffered a severe ankle sprain while attempting a tackle in kick coverage. As expected, the special unit was paralyzed from this point on. Due to Moody's absence, the 49ers even unsuccessfully attempted a fourth-and-22 instead of attempting a field goal.

The 49ers began contacting the kickers on Sunday evening. Moody's predecessor, 41-year-old Robbie Gould, is not a realistic option. He announced his retirement in December and is now the head football coach at Rolling Meadows High School in suburban Chicago, which happens to be the alma mater of former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

“The kickers are almost independent contractors, so we're going to get them on board as quickly as possible and get the best guy we can,” Shanahan said. “I’m sure it must take a few weeks.”

The 49ers are hoping their new signee will help them finally solve the current Whac-A-Mole game on special teams. But that's not the only part of the operation where one problem has improved only to see another problem emerge.

The 49ers' offense – which was good but not great through the first four games – posted its worst performance of the season against the Cardinals, who don't have a good defense. Arizona ranked 30th in expected extra points for this game. But the 49ers couldn't capitalize, especially in the red zone, where they ranked 20th in the NFL with a touchdown percentage of 50 percent entering the game.

On Sunday, the 49ers scored just one touchdown in six trips to the red zone.

“Before the day started we were in the middle of the pack and today we got a lot worse,” Shanahan said bluntly.

The continued absence of running back Christian McCaffrey has hurt the 49ers' ability to create space in the tighter quarters of the red zone. But Purdy blamed himself, particularly on a play in which he missed a shot against George Kittle just before the goal line.

“If we have a match and we look good, I just have to do it,” Purdy said. “So I have to be better and more aggressive down there.”

While one can attribute the 49ers' issues against the run to heat-induced fatigue, other issues cannot be dismissed as anomalies. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray rushed for a 50-yard touchdown on Arizona's second play from scrimmage, the longest of his career. The score came on a zone read, which the Cardinals once again successfully used for a decisive Murray win late in the fourth quarter.

It's defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen's first year on the job, and the 49ers have seemed unusually prone to making big plays at inopportune moments this season. They also haven't covered particularly well from the safety position, where Talanoa Hufanga left on Sunday with a wrist injury that threatens to cause even more instability next week. Freshman Malik Mustapha and sophomore Ji'Ayir Brown may have to form the starting duo in Seattle.

But it was Murray's targeted runs that exposed the 49ers' defense the most against Arizona.

“They gave us a different look at the zone read,” Bosa said. “With all our losses, the preparation we have had is great. But the teams… do things a little differently and we have to adapt a little better. They just look different than what we saw on tape – so we just have to adapt.”

Another opportunity to customize looms. That's the nature of this short-lived league, one the 49ers have learned through their dizzying in-season turnarounds, big wins and bitter defeats over the past half-decade. The joy of a win may not last long in the NFL, but neither does the disappointment of a loss – especially when there's a Thursday game coming up.

“We just have to go back to the drawing board and get it done,” 49ers defensive tackle Maliek Collins said in the locker room. “I still feel like it’s still early in the season. We're heading into week 6. We're in for a short week 6. I haven't lost faith. Everything we want is still ahead of us.”

Bosa said: “Playing complementary football is something we have done well over the years. I haven’t lost any confidence in the team.”