Frustrated Niners: Kaepernick overcorrects, takes no chances

Share

SANTA CLARA – 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was determined not to see a repeat of the disaster from a week ago when he had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the first six minutes of a blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

But he might have overcorrected his errors in the 49ers’ 17-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in front of a disgruntled fan base at Levi’s Stadium.

Kaepernick completed just 13 of 25 pass attempts for 160 yards. And some of his passes did not even come close to the nearest 49ers receiver.

“Some of them were protecting throws,” Kaepernick said. “(I’m) just not going to throw the ball into coverage. I’m going to protect the throws as much as I can to make sure we’re protecting the football as an offense.”

Again, the 49ers’ frustration was apparent. Coach Jim Tomsula had to talk to wide receiver Torrey Smith early in the game after Kaepernick failed to hook up with him on a pass down the field. Smith pointed out the Packers played man coverage, blitzed and did not have a deep safety for much of the game.

“And we couldn’t take advantage of it so it is what it is,” Smith said. “That’s what we can do.”

[RELATED: 49ers fully shambolic after four weeks with no fix in sight]

Veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin, one of the team’s nine captains, also could not hide his feelings throughout the game. He politely declined comment upon getting dressed after the game.

“They’re playmakers for this team,” Kaepernick said. “They want to contribute. They want to have an impact. And we weren’t able to get the ball to them and allow them to have that impact until later in the game. So I understand the frustration, yes. But it’s a team game. They want to win. I understand that.”

Despite the appearance that the team is pulling in different directions during their three-game losing streak, Tomsula maintained the 49ers continue to be on the same page.

“No, it’s not fractured,” Tomsula said. “I think there’s a little frustration there, but not fractured at all. No. Offensively, we have some problems there that we’ve got to get fixed. That starts with me. It’s the coaching staff, and we’ve got to get that straightened out right away.”

Tomsula said it has not cross his mind to replace Kaepernick with backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Tomsula said he still believes Kaepernick gives the 49ers their best chance to win.

The 49ers could not sustain much on offense. In their two red-zone possessions, they managed just three points. And when the 49ers still had an opportunity in the third quarter, offensive coordinator Geep Chryst’s play call on a third-and-11 situation left plenty questioning his decision.

On the play, which originated from the Green Bay 34, Kaepernick handed off to running back Reggie Bush on a read option. He was stopped in the middle of the line for no gain.

“That was a schematic thing on 3-and-11, backed up right there,” Tomsula said. “So what we were trying to do, they were bringing a lot of zeros (all-out blitzes). We were obviously having a hard time getting that blocked up, so trying to split the zeroes with an explosive guy.”

[INSTANT REPLAY: 49ers keep it close, but fall to Packers]

Kaepernick said part of the intent of the running play was to ensure that a critical mistake was not made on a passing play.

“They’ve given us some soft coverage on third and long,” Kaepernick said. “So we wanted to take advantage of that. It’s also a way for us to protect the football. We had third and longs last week where we tried to force the ball in to get first downs, and it put us even further behind the 8-ball.”

Pass protection and Kaepernick’s ability to get the ball out of his hands before the pass rush arrived was again an issue for the 49ers. Kaepernick was sacked six times for minus-41 yards. And Bush, who was expected to be a factor as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, had just one catch for 6 yards.

“To me, we have to be able to get the ball out quick,” Kaepernick said. “We have to be able to get the ball into our playmakers’ hands as soon as we can. Ultimately, this offense is a team. We’re working as hard as we can to make sure we’re doing things right and on the right track.”

Kaepernick threw an interception on a deep attempt intended for Boldin late in the game. Most passes, he said, were aimed where he wanted to throw them, including several deep throws that sailed out of bounds.

The one play Kaepernick said he wanted back was a second-and-5 throw to Bush, which came out of his hand awkwardly and took a nose drive into the ground far short of its intended target. The 49ers had the ball at the Packers' 15-yard line with 4:30 remaining in the game.

“I’d say the one throw I’d want to have back is the one to Reggie in the red zone,” he said. “He made a great move, and I didn’t make the throw. But the other ones, I’m not going to throw the ball into traffic and risk this offense and this team by putting them in a bad situation.”

Contact Us