The San Francisco 49ers didn’t get off to a hot start. The offense went three-and-out, and after a 22-yard completion to Trey McBride, Kyler Murray raced around the rim and found himself in the end zone before you could blame the defense.

It didn’t take long for the offense to answer. Brandon Aiyuk caught a pass for 53 yards, including several yards after the catch and George Kittle running next to him to block.

An 11-yard reception by Deebo Samuel, the 49ers were inside Arizona’s 10. But trouble in the red zone cost the team again on a third-down sack, and the offense had to settle for a field goal.

After forcing a three-and-out, the offense had no problems on their next red zone trip. Purdy found Aiyuk for 16 yards, then 19, before rushing for a first down. On 3rd-and-5 from the Cardinals’ 30-yard line, Jauan Jennings did what he usually does and converted for a 13-yard gain. George Kittle found the end zone to give the Niners a 10-7 lead.

But the Cardinals offense had proven they could move the ball. Murray found Marvin Harrison Jr. on a perfect back-shoulder fade for 22 yards on 3rd and 3. Talanoa Hufanga missed a tackle on a 2nd-and-10 screen that gave Arizona a first down. But consecutive incompletions by McBride forced Arizona to settle for three, tying the score at 10.

Hufanga left the game and walked to the locker room with an apparent problem with his right wrist. Hufanga is still plagued by injuries.

After the first few drives, Aiyuk had 91 of Purdy’s 119 passing yards. It was Jordan Mason’s turn on the fourth possession. He had the longest run of his career, 34 yards. It’s hard to believe, but that was the 49ers’ first 30-plus yard run of the season.

After Jake Brendel’s holding penalty on 3rd and 11, Purdy found Aiyuk again for 17 yards. But the attack stalled again inside the 10-yard line. On 3rd and 2, Purdy was forced to scramble and couldn’t find an open receiver. So there were three red zone trips, but only one touchdown to show for it. That made the score 13-10.

The Cardinals hit the 49ers defense with an explosive play after a foul penalty on Jordan Elliott. Trey McBride got behind the defense for a gain of 34. Murray’s pass was incomplete on a 3rd-and-6 from the 28-yard line after Isaac Yiadom had wide coverage on Harrison. Yiadom’s pass breakup forced a 45-yard field goal.

Elliott blocked Chad Ryland’s attempt, and Deommodore Lenoir was there for the taking, returning the kick 61 yards for a touchdown to give San Francisco a 20-10 lead. It was quite a momentum swing.

On the subsequent kick-off, Jake Moody was tackled. That’s never a good thing. In this case, Moody went down and immediately grabbed his right ankle. He was helped to his feet and walked gingerly off the field before being wheeled to the locker room. Mitch Wishnowsky is the backup kicker.

Malik Mustapha made a great pass breakup to force a 3rd and 9, but Kyler scrambled for a first down and the Cardinals were once again within field goal range. Mustapha came on for Hufanga, who was excluded.

On 2nd and 6 from the 24, Nick Bosa made a great play, reading a swing screen for an interception. The 49ers were aggressive and had to play for a touchdown with Moody out. From Arizona’s 40, Purdy scrambled 12 yards, found Kittle on third down for 14 yards, and we were once again on a third & goal. Purdy tried to find Jennings, but to no avail.

Wishnowsky would make his first career field goal to give the 49ers a 23-10 lead at the half.

Leonard Floyd sacked Murray to start the second half, and the Cardinals punted quickly. But it wouldn’t be long before their offense returned to the field.

After the Purdy to Aiyuk combination converted a 3rd and 12, Purdy’s pass was tipped straight into the air, resulting in an interception. But the defense held firm and gave up virtually nothing, limiting Arizona to a field goal to make the score 23-13.

Purdy had one of his magic moments in the pocket, eluding multiple rushers and scrambling for a first down. Mason had already run twenty yards on this drive. But on 2nd and 14, Purdy couldn’t perform another miracle and was sacked. After an incomplete pass, it was 4th and 23, and the Niners had to go for it.

A promising ride ended with no points and the score remained a 10-point game. The Niners had dominated time of possession by more than ten minutes thus far.

The 49ers had a chance to force a long third down, but Ji’Ayir Brown missed Conner in the open field. Arizona had gains of 10, 10 and 11 on the ensuing drive, once again erasing the Niners defense’s success on early downs.

Conner had a strong run and began to wear down the defense, as evidenced by his 14-yard run to set up a first goal from San Francisco’s two-yard line. A touchdown and a two-point conversion made it 23-21, and just like that, we had a nail-biter.

Shanahan attempted a botched reverse, which made the foul seem too cute. This came after a gain of nine and Mason stiff-arming the Cardinals in the ground after a gain of 20. On 2nd and 10, Purdy found Aiyuk for another 20 yards.

The 49ers once again found themselves in a 3rd and 6 situation inside the red zone. Kittle ran through a tackle to keep the offense on the field and give the Niners a goal-to-go situation. Jordan Mason fumbled the next play, and the defense, which had given up scores on back-to-back drives, had to hold on or the Cardinals would have the lead.

That marked the second time in as many possessions that the 49ers were inside Arizona’s 30-yard line and didn’t score any points. That will haunt you every day of the week.

Conner got his way early in the ride and gained six, three and eight meters. Murray allowed Michael Wilson to open deep after hitting Charvarius Ward with a double move, but he shot past Wilson.

On 4th and 5, with the game essentially on the line, Murray threw a fade with Floyd unblocked, and Harrison came up with the first-down reception. Isaac Yiadom was in coverage. Conner’s run just before the two-minute warning actually helped the 49ers as he ran for a first down.

The offense would have 1:32 to play from the San Francisco 27-yard line. Ideally, they should get inside the 15-yard line. They knew what Mitch Wishnowsky’s reach was. Unfortunately we never had the opportunity to see Wishnowsky.

It looked like Mason had missed the blitz pickup and left an unblocked rusher. That player hit Purdy, whose pass went sky-high into the air and ended in an interception.

This is the second time in three games this season that the 49ers’ winning probability exceeded 85 percent midway through the fourth quarter, and they lost. Those usually happen once a season, but the 49ers have found a way to blow two divisional games in less than a month.

They are now 2-3 and will have a short week as they play the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday.