Dissecting San Francisco 49ers' Passing Woes from Week 2 Loss
The San Francisco 49ers' passing game was brought back down to earth in Week 2.
A 28-20 loss to the Chicago Bears has put a halt to any discussion that the 49ers' pass attack is revamped, reinforced and upgraded after being No. 30 in the NFL last season in passing yards (2,979).
We can hope this discussion is only temporary and that San Francisco bounces back. But this ugly loss to the Bears certainly sparks inquiry surrounding what exactly went wrong.
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There were plenty of factors that led to the 49ers' defeat. Penalties, turnovers, play-calling and lack of adjustments all influenced the final score. Specifically which aspect was chiefly responsible is up for debate, but this loss remains a sum of its parts.
San Francisco's passing problems were prominent among the woes that contributed to the unfavorable result.
So how did quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the passing game fail the 49ers in Week 2?
Let's take a detailed look into what happened and what went wrong.
The Positives
Before we depress ourselves with the myriad of problems that plagued Kaepernick and the passing game, let's briefly assess some positive notes. Unfortunately, these positives came early and did not last long enough to warrant successful results.
But we cannot overlook the fact that Kaepernick delivered the first Levi's Stadium regular-season touchdown by hooking up with wide receiver Michael Crabtree on a three-yard pass at the 12:46 mark of the first quarter.
Crabtree is seen here moving to the right flat along the goal line. Kaepernick finds him for an easy score.
This connection appeared to give us the confidence that Kaepernick picked up right where he left off in Week 1, when he and the 49ers offense dominated a weak Dallas Cowboys defense as described further by Tyler Emerick of 49ers.com.
On top of that, Kaepernick passed for 248 yards on the day and distributed the ball to eight different receivers over the course of the game.
Spreading the ball around will continue to be key to the 49ers' offensive hopes this season. Last year at this time, Kaepernick essentially had two targets with which to work—Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis.
Added weapons have proved to be a key factor.
But did Kaepernick distribute the ball enough? That's up for debate.
Distributing the Wealth
Crabtree led all 49ers receivers with 82 yards on seven receptions. Kaepernick's No. 1 target had a much larger impact compared to his two-catch, 25-yard performance against Dallas in Week 1.
But No. 2 receiver Boldin was limited to just two catches for 34 yards. It wasn't so much that Boldin was bottled up by Chicago's secondary; rather Kaepernick simply did not look for him enough.
This was evidenced on the 49ers' final play of the game—an incomplete pass intended for Crabtree with 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.
As we see here, Boldin is lined up in the slot to Kaepernick's right. Boldin will make a move toward the end zone against single coverage.
Boldin waves his arm, having beaten his man, but Kaepernick forces a pass through a narrow window intended for Crabtree.
Another Kaepernick pass earlier in the game intended for Boldin wound up being intercepted by Bears defensive back Chris Conte.
"Kaepernick intercepted by Chris Conte. This time, the play stands. Kaepernick stared down Boldin on that play, Conte read play.
— Steve Corkran (@CorkOnTheNFL) September 15, 2014"
Here's the video.
Kaepernick failed to look off Conte and stared down Boldin the entire way. Conte and the Bears reaped the rewards of this excellent pick.
Offensive Line Debacle
While this game might be the worst of Kaepernick's career, it is not entirely fair to place the blame on San Francisco's signal-caller.
As pointed out by Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, the 49ers offensive line failed to properly protect Kaepernick as the game wore on. Right tackle Jonathan Martin—starting in place of the injured Anthony Davis—gave up two critical sacks late in the game.
In total, Kaepernick's pass protection simply dissolved as the Bears defense overpowered what is usually considered a strength of the 49ers offense.
Kaepernick was sacked a total of four times during the game. That number easily could have been higher had it not been for Kaepernick's elusiveness and rushing prowess.
The lack of protection arguably forced Kaepernick to make some bad throws late in the game, so it is fair to say this unit deserves a share of the blame.
The Picks
Chicago picked off Kaepernick a total of three times in San Francisco's home opener. Kaepernick's performance emulated those forgettable games up north versus the Seattle Seahawks to a great extent.
The difference though is that Seattle's secondary is elite. The Bears' defensive backfield is not, but it looked it against the 49ers.
Conte's pick of Kaepernick in the second quarter was a remarkable play and one has to at least tip the proverbial hat when recognizing what happened.
But rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller was able to embarrass Kaepernick twice in the fourth quarter.
Fuller's first interception was also a stellar play, as the rookie was able to essentially rob Crabtree of the ball.
But Fuller's second interception during the quarter broke the back of San Francisco's hopes to stem the tide of Chicago's improbable comeback.
Here, we see the 49ers' No. 3 tight end, Derek Carrier, lined up on the left side of the O-line.
After scrambling, we notice Kaepernick trying to find Carrier on this 3rd-and-12 attempt, but Kaepernick fails to recognize Fuller (outlined in blue) closing the distance for the pick.
What's disheartening is that Kaepernick had a man relatively open in the middle of the field. While a pass here would have been against his body, Kaepernick could have at least delivered a ball where only his receiver could have hauled it in.
Trailing by only one point and with 9:19 remaining, it would not have been the end of the world had the 49ers not converted here. There was still plenty of time to hold Chicago's offense and try to take a late lead.
Putting It Together
Kaepernick certainly deserves a large portion of the blame for this loss. Three interceptions, combined with a slew of bad decisions, are a major factor in the eventual outcome.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News certainly points this out:
"So, in the first must-score moment of 2014, Kaepernick threw yet another interception. How have the 49ers have been a playoff team the last three seasons? By winning these kinds of games going away and by watching their QB not screw them up. The 49ers have always won these games under Harbaugh, and they should've won this one with Kaepernick. The questions: How quickly can they fix this, and is their QB up for the long haul to January?
"
Kawakami's words may come off a little more negatively than necessary, and Kaepernick's disastrous performance is certainly not an indication of what we should expect.
The 49ers as a whole have coughed up early-season games before during the Jim Harbaugh era. Week 2's loss defines this statement.
While Kaepernick's turnovers are bad, they didn't occur in a vacuum.
Sixteen penalties for 118 yards helped kill San Francisco's chances. The failure of the 49ers defense to adjust to Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall in the second half is also to blame. The O-line became evermore permeable, exposing Kaepernick to Chicago's pass-rushers.
Play-calling from offensive coordinator Greg Roman was also problematic, especially in the fourth quarter.
But the blame on San Francisco's passing offense can be summed up this way: In spite of the myriad of problems the 49ers encountered, this game provided an opportunity for Kaepernick to carry the team on his shoulders.
Had the 49ers won, talk would have centered on Kaepernick's abilities to "win this game" for San Francisco despite all the setbacks and mistakes made previously.
Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.
Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Be sure to check out his entire archive on 49ers news, insight and analysis.
Follow him @PeterMcShots on Twitter.
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