Golden Nuggets: Is this Happening Again?

Flashback to a year ago, 2013. The 49ers had just lost their first home game and were staring at a miserable 1-2 record. They opened the season well enough with an exciting shootout win over NFC rival Green Bay. That was followed by two bad losses, one to NFC West foe Seattle on the road and another at home to Indianapolis.

Now it's 2014 and the start to the season is eerily familiar. The Niners had an exciting win against NFC rival Dallas Cowboys, followed by two straight losses: the first home loss of the season against the Chicago Bears, and a road loss to NFC West foe, Arizona. If that isn't giving you deja vu, consider that the story lines last year were the 49ers falling under .500 for the first time in the Harbaugh era, and how Frank Gore had disappeared from the game plan. This loss makes it the second time the team is under .500 (PFT) in Jim's tenure, and Frank had only 6 carries for 10 yards. A result which left him speechless once again (ESPN).

So what am I getting at? Last year's first two losses became the catalyst for an 11-2 run and 6 wins in a row to close out the season. Frank Gore and the running game once again became the focus of the offense and that led to a fiery run into the playoffs. So the 2014 49ers find themselves at nearly the same turning point as they did in 2013. The hope is that this team can find the same magic that the 2013 team did to turn around their season. For my personal sanity and probably yours too, I'm holding on to that hope.

Game Recap and Reviews

Brown's two touchdown helps Cardinals move past 49ers (Gin)

Gamer: 49ers Second-half Woes Continue against Cardinals (Pentis)

What We Learned From 49ers vs. Cardinals (Price)

Another week, another second-half no-show: 49ers fall, 23-14, to Cardinals (Branch)

Final: 49ers again collapse in second half, lose 23-14 to Cardinals (Inman)

49ers lose their cool, their lead and the game (Barrows)

Rapid Reaction: San Francisco 49ers (Gutierrez)

Mistakes plague 49ers, again (Biderman)

Drew Stanton steps up after halftime to fuel Cards' rally past 49ers (ESPN/AP)

Cardinals improve to 3-0 with comeback win over 49ers (PFT)

Arizona beats San Francisco 23-14 with second half surge (Fansided)

Niners Flagged With Second Straight Loss (NBC)

Spotlights

49ers unravel, no longer enjoy personnel and coaching advantages (BASG)

49ers ground game non-existent vs. Cardinals (Gin)

49ers abandon run-and pay the price (Gutierrez)

We miss Burnin' Vernon already. | 49ers can't pass test without two key offensive players (Maiocco)

49ers' new-look offense pays early dividends (Inman)

Notes: Cards adjusted after 49ers' surprise opening (Branch)

It's not a salve for another painful loss, but Kaepernick's play bodes well for future games. | Colin Kaepernick Performs Well in Defeat (Pentis)

Kaepernick denies making racial slur against Bears, doesn't let accusation affect his play vs. Cardinals (Corkran)

Anquan Boldin takes accountability for his penalty but wants officials to ‘call it both ways' (Inman)

All the cracks and pressure points have added up, and now something inside the 49ers is broken-can anybody fix it? (Kawakami)

49ers' second-half meltdowns continue (Gutierrez)

Interview Transcripts

Kaepernick: "I talk on the football field, yes I do." (Cohn)

Ahmad Brooks: "Unbelievable." (Cohn)

Jim Harbaugh had almost nothing to say after the 49ers' loss to Arizona-here's the extent of it (Kawakami)

---

Follow @joelvreyes