Since Jim Harbaugh became head coach of the 49ers, things have been good. Far more often than they’ve been bad.
Things have been so good that Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals puts the 49ers under .500 for only the second time since Harbaugh arrived in 2011.
Like last year, the 49ers have lost two in a row after winning the opener. In 2013, the 49ers responded to adversity by winning five straight.
To do that again, the 49ers will have to beat the Eagles, Chiefs, Rams, Broncos, and Rams. This team simply may not be good enough to reprise that feat, which could explain what Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News called “[o]ne of the most tense 49ers post-game locker rooms I’ve ever been in, especially for a regular-season game.”
Kawakami also shares the full transcript of Harbaugh’s press conference, which had even less useful content than his usual media availability. If that’s even possible.
It remains possible that the 49ers will turn things around. But it won’t be easy, and the margin for error in the top-heavy NFC West already is shrinking.