Maybe everyone saying that the 49ers' offense isn't very good were on to something. That was horrendous to watch. Up to now the defense has been so good that it didn't matter, but in this game they just simply couldn't stop Larry Fitzgerald. The offense should have won this game but they couldn't make any plays when it mattered. Or when it didn't matter. They just couldn't make plays. The offensive line was terrible, Smith was vintage 2005 Alex: oblivious to the blitz and scattering his deep throws like so much shotgun buckshot.
It could be that the Cardinals' defense is good, and given what they did the last 2 weeks that's probably the case, but the fact remains that the 49ers just lost to Red Skelton. That's not good. They should beat this team with 2 hands and a leg tied behind their backs.
Maybe this will be a good thing in the long run, but I don't think this was a team in need of a game like this. This team didn't strike me as an entitled bunch that needed to be brought back to earth. I think they just weren't good enough on offense to win this game, and that's pretty scary for their playoff prospects. This was a crushing loss, because it means the 49ers HAVE to beat Pittsburgh next week. If they'd have won this game, they could afford that loss and still almost assuredly clinch the 2 seed. Now we need to root against the Saints and hope the offensive line figures its shit out in time to face a much much better defense than the one they just got destroyed against.
Blech. I was really hoping for 14-2.
