49ers collapse in fourth quarter, fall to Cardinals 18-15 in heartbreaking fashion

The San Francisco 49ers figured out a new way to lose in Week 8, falling in disastrous fashion to the previously one-win Arizona Cardinals 18-15 after their two-touchdown fourth quarter.

In a battle of one-win teams, the San Francisco 49ers looked to secure win No. 2 against an Arizona Cardinals squad that ranked 31st in scoring and dead last in all-purpose yards coming into the game.

But with Niners quarterback C.J. Beathard looking to avoid the plethora of turnovers he suffered back in Week 5 when these last two teams met, one figured this wouldn't exactly be a high-scoring affair.

It wasn't. Instead, the 49ers watched their losing streak to Arizona dating back to 2014 continue through this season, falling to the Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium 18-15 in gut-wrenching fashion.

San Francisco managed to give Arizona its second win of the season after the Cardinals mustered two fourth-quarter touchdowns to drive the dagger into the Niners' forgettable 2018 campaign, ending in the 18-15 Week 8 defeat. And the 49ers' loss included a woeful 190 yards from Beathard's arm, which didn't help matters either. The 49ers defense ended up putting the 49ers on the board first -- a safety generated by the pressure from EDGE Cassius Marsh in the first quarter. It also took a second-quarter interception from safety Jaquiski Tartt to put the Niners in field-goal range to take what was then a 5-3 lead.

Tartt's pick marked only the second time this season the 49ers managed an interception on the year.

A shoulder injury forced Tartt out of the game, however, but San Francisco's defense ended up getting some admirable play from its secondary. Cornerback Richard Sherman recorded his first sack of the season and his first since 2012. And Jimmie Ward, who moved back from boundary cornerback to free safety, had one of his better games of the season, finishing with three tackles.

Armed with a 5-3 first-half lead, Beathard managed to hit wide receiver Marquise Goodwin for a 55-yard touchdown in the third quarter:

Goodwin hadn't been much of a factor earlier in the game, but his score certainly helped ignite what had been a stagnant 49ers offense beforehand.

The Cardinals answered back in the fourth quarter, though, utilizing veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who had two key receptions and capped it off with a 13-yard touchdown grab to cut into the Niners deficit 15-10. He also added the two-point conversion on Arizona's go-ahead score.

With Arizona driving at the 4:44 mark of the fourth quarter, Cardinals tight end Jermaine Gresham fumbled along the sidelines and the ball appeared to be touched by safety Jimmie Ward after he stepped out of bounds, which would have meant a dead ball and possession in favor of the Cardinals. But head coach Kyle Shanahan challenged the play, and it was overturned with linebacker Fred Warner recovering the loose ball.

That marked San Francisco's second takeaway of the game. Paired with zero offensive turnovers, the Niners' turnover differential is now minus-13 -- a notable improvement over last week's mark, even though that number is still terrible.

But those 15 fourth-quarter points, which included Fitzgerald's score and wide receiver Christian Kirk's go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute in regulation, highlighted just how bad the Niners' season has gone this year.

The 49ers desperately tried to get into field-goal range trailing by three and with less than a minute remaining. Then this happened, which is pretty indicative of all the woes Shanahan and Co. are experiencing this year:

A high snap with seven seconds left over Beathard's head, an incomplete pass in desperation and now San Francisco is a seven-loss team through eight weeks.

At least that No. 1 NFL Draft pick is looking more like a reality.