49ers' frustration evident after loss to Cardinals

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Michael Crabtree and Braylon Edwards were supposed to give the 49ers a formidable combination on the outside for those tough catches in tight spaces in the red zone.The 49ers already had a proven commodity, tight end Vernon Davis, who caught 20 touchdown passes over the previous two seasons. And the combination of Crabtree and Edwards, theoretically, should've provided matchup problems for any defense.But that's not how it has worked out.The 49ers have routinely sputtered in the red zone. And the 49ers' wideouts felt decidedly under-utilized in the 49ers' 21-19 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.The 49ers (10-3) are tied for the second-best record in the NFC with the New Orleans Saints behind the unbeaten Green Bay Packers. The 49ers hold the tie-breaker edge on the Saints based on a better conference record.But, now, the 49ers might not have any margin for error with remaining games at Candlestick Park against the Pittsburgh Steelers and on the road at Seattle and St. Louis.For the first time this season, there is palpable frustration in the 49ers' locker room.Crabtree caught seven passes for 63 yards, but he was a spectator in the red zone. The 49ers ran 11 plays inside the Cardinals' 20-yard line. Crabtree was on the sideline for four of those plays, and he was not the intended target on any of the other seven plays."I have no words, really," Crabtree said. "I saw a lot of opportunities. I really don't want to say anything negative. You know what I'm saying? But it's hard."When you're trying to be the man, and you're trying to do what you're supposed to do, trying to grind it out, trying to be the receiver, and you don't get the ball. It's hard. It's disappointing. I don't know, man. I don't need to be talking right now."And Edwards wasn't in much of a talking mood, either.Edwards, returning to action after missing a week to rehab his ailing knee and shoulder, played only 11 snaps. He had two passes thrown his way, and he did not make a catch."Talk to them," Edwards said of the other receivers. "They played. I didn't."Davis saw three passes come his way, and he had just one reception for 32 yards. That play gave the 49ers a first down at the 13-yard line. And that's when the 49ers turned it over to David Akers . . . again.There's a reason Akers has already set the 49ers' franchise record with 36 field goals. It's because the 49ers have far too often settled for three points instead of seven."Obviously, looking back there and after the game now, we had such great opportunities down there and such great field position and got down in the red zone and got down deep in the red zone and didn't execute and didn't convert," 49ers quarterback Alex Smith said. "Looking back on it, it was very frustrating. So, yeah, guys are frustrated. Guys want the ball. Guys want to score."The 49ers' offense had a miserable day. Blessed with great field position for their first drive of the second half, 49ers running back Frank Gore had a 37-yard touchdown run to give San Francisco a 19-7 lead less than three minutes into the third quarter.But after that point, the 49ers' offense failed to pick up a first down on its own. The 49ers' only first down of the second came when the Cardinals were called for a personal foul.The 49ers converted just 3 of 17 third-down attempts in the game. Smith completed just 18 of 37 passes for 175 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He was also sacked five times, as pass protection has continued to be a recent problem.And the 49ers got inside the Cardinals' 10-yard line three times and settled for Akers field goals every time."We would like to be improving in that area," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. "We attacked. We went after it and we just didn't convert. That's on all of us. That's on all of us on the offensive side of the ball."Meanwhile, the 49ers' defense wasn't exactly exemplary, either.Backup quarterback John Skelton took over for Kevin Kolb, who was sidelined in the first quarter with a head injury. Skelton got the start against the 49ers three weeks ago, and was so bad that coach Ken Whisenhunt benched him.This time, Skelton completed 19 of 28 passes for 282 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Receiver Larry Fitzgerald had seven receptions for 149 yards. The 49ers could not pin this loss on the absence of All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis, who missed the game due to a right hamstring strain.
"They made plays on the ball and we didn't when it was in the air," 49ers safety Donte Whitner said. "As a secondary, we felt like it was really on our shoulders and we lost this football game collectively -- all together."We didn't make plays and we gave up too many big plays. It doesn't matter what the offense does, if they can't get in. All we need are field goals. We feel like we let the team down, and we're going to go back to the drawing board and we'll be ready."Said left tackle Alex Boone, who played most of the game after starter Joe Staley left with a head injury, "The defense has been great. They're playing great football and we got to execute. We can't leave them hanging like that. We just got to score in the red zone."Akers made field goals of 46, 22, 27 and 22 yards. He also missed from 50 yards during a sequence that might have swung the momentum of the game in the second quarter.With the 49ers leading 6-0, Akers lined up for the field goal on a fourth-and-7 play from the 32-yard line. Holder Andy Lee took the snap and rolled right on a fake. Center Jonathan Goodwin, who lines up as a wing on field-goal protection, ran a corner route and made a spectacular catch while whistles blew.Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt threw his red flag to challenge the previous play -- an 11-yard Smith pass to Kyle Williams that moved the 49ers into field-goal range. Referee Alberto Riveron determined the flag was thrown before the snap of the ball.Harbaugh disputed Riveron's decision to blow the play dead. Teams are allowed to challenge only before the next snap of the ball. The 49ers felt as if the snap of the ball happened before Whisenhunt threw the flag."We were looking at that," Harbaugh said. "We were watching them, and we didn't feel like they got that challenge off. That's a judgment call by the officials. You can argue it, but there's nothing to really contest."Oddly, Riveron never ruled on the challenge because of a malfunction with the replay equipment, he said. Akers then missed the 50-yard attempt. The Cardinals took over at the 40-yard line, and on the next play Skelton hit Early Doucet for a 60-yard touchdown.The Cardinals scored touchdowns. The 49ers did not. And that was the story of this game.Arizona took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter when Skelton hit Andre Roberts on a 3-yard scoring pass.And, suddenly, the 49ers have lost two of three games. Players are frustrated. And Harbaugh has the challenge of getting the 49ers back on track when they return to practice Thursday to get prepared to face the Steelers on Monday night."We look forward to seeing how our team responds to some adversity," Harbaugh said. "We haven't had a lot of it this year."