GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The 49ers didn’t win, but they certainly weren’t whacked.
For those searching for signs of progress in a season stuffed with humiliation it finally arrived Sunday. The 49ers lost 23-20 to the Cardinals, who entered as 14-point favorites and were a year removed from beating them by 40 points at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Arizona won on Chandler Catanzaro’s 34-yard field goal as time expired, a kick that foiled the 49ers’ inspired comeback in a game that initially appeared destined to go down as another beatdown.
The 49ers clawed back from a 14-0 second-quarter deficit and tied the game at 20 on Colin Kaepernick’s four-yard bootleg touchdown run on the first play after the two-minute warning.