What do the San Francisco 49ers and a cookie have in common?

They both crumble as the pressure increases. For the second time this season, the 49ers once again squandered a double-digit lead, losing 24-23 to the Arizona Cardinals.

The Red Zone troubles continued again for the 49ers. They settled for field goals on three of their red zone trips. To make matters worse, they lost kicker Jake Moody after he tried to make a tackle on the kickoff.

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact issues, but one thing is certain: the 49ers need to do something different. Whatever they’ve done, it’s not working. They can’t remain such a mediocre team in the red zone. They have way too much talent to be that inefficient.

A touchdown on every trip isn’t going to happen, but it should be much better than it is. This is why the 49ers have trouble putting away teams. It happened in this game. If the 49ers could have scored one more touchdown on one of their red zone trips, they would have won this game easily. Instead, they allowed the Cardinals to make it a contentious battle.

The bright side is that Brandon Aiyuk woke up. He finally got his explosion game, eight catches for 147 yards. It was a reminder of why the 49ers gave him a lucrative contract extension. Aiyuk is a great player. He is their best receiver who can separate from defenders at will. Despite his low numbers, he has been doing this all season.

Today he was finally able to match his divorce with the statistics. Look for Aiyuk to continue this great form he’s been in. The 49ers will need him as they can successfully generate more explosive plays.

As for the rest of the offense, only George Kittle is worth mentioning. He played very well and is on his way to another All-Pro season. Jordan Mason also played well, averaging over six yards per carry. However, Mason fumbled the ball at a critical moment when the 49ers were in the red zone. Go figure.

Right now, the 49ers are NOT a playoff-caliber team and it will take a lot for them to change that view.