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Teams find ways to exploit the 49ers’ defense, and San Francisco has a hard time fighting it.

San Francisco defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen on Tuesday downplayed defensive end Nick Bosa’s comments about the need for better in-game adjustments.

“I don’t think we haven’t adapted it. “We started changing some of the calls and we were mixing up whether it was two-high or creating pressure,” Sorensen said. “I thought we were talking on the sidelines about what happened on that one play, and I don’t know what happened. “I don’t think it was really a breakdown or a miscommunication because we didn’t meet that late “We adapted things because we changed things and our case got a different look, and because we also brought different types of printing.”

Speaking to reporters after the 49ers’ crushing 24-23 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Bosa discussed how the Arizona offense did much better in the second half after struggling with the San defense in the first two quarters Francisco was struggling.

“They gave us a different look at the zone read,” Bosa said Sunday. “I think despite all our losses, the preparation we had was great. But teams play us differently and do things differently and we have to adapt a little better.

“(They) just present a different look than what we saw on tape. So we just have to adapt and get him down.”

While Bosa and Sorensen both believe the 49ers’ defense was well prepared for the Cardinals, it’s clear that Arizona had much more success in the second half, and for good reason.

Was this just the result of a good offense coming into its own when it mattered most, or was there a breakdown in San Francisco’s defense that Arizona took advantage of? Or perhaps the defense ran out of energy in temperatures around 100 degrees?

Whatever the reason for the opposing team’s second-half success, the 49ers need to find a solution soon as they begin a difficult stretch against some of the NFL’s best teams.

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