Biggest Takeaways from San Francisco 49ers' Week 3 Loss

This offseason, when the San Francisco 49ers “mutually" parted ways with former head coach Jim Harbaugh, general manager Trent Baalke famously told the media, “This isn’t a rebuild situation; this is a reload situation.”

After Sunday’s humiliating 47-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Baalke clearly does have a rebuild situation on his hands. There’s nothing "loaded" or "reloaded" about the 49ers.

In no specific order, San Francisco needs two cornerbacks, two outside linebackers, an inside linebacker, a defensive end, an offensive tackle, a guard, a center and a quarterback.

Otherwise, the Niners are stacked.

That’s one big takeaway from Week 3. Here are five more.

The Niners Really Miss DE Justin Smith

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The Niners pass rush wouldn’t be so bad if it still had Justin Smith.

Yes, that Smith.

Not Aldon Smith—he wouldn’t help. He’s been terrible for the Oakland Raiders this season. On every play, it seems like he tries to bench-press the offensive tackle instead of using a move.

Aldon Smith misses Justin Smith as much as the Niners coaching staff and front office do. Justin Smith was always the most important member of the Niners pass rush, even though he never racked up a lot of sacks.

Justin Smith was one of the best defensive tackles ever when it came to games and stunts. No one could tie up two blockers and free up outside linebackers like Justin Smith did. He made Aldon Smith seem special.

Without Justin Smith, the Niners’ four-man pass rush is nonexistent. San Francisco has to blitz to generate pressure.

The Niners Can’t Stop the Pass

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Not only do the Niners have no pass rush, but they also have no pass coverage. Cardinals receivers were so wide-open when they caught the ball Sunday afternoon that at times it was almost impossible to figure out which Niners defender got beat.

San Francisco’s defense is allowing 8.8 yards per pass attempt this season—the second-worst mark in the NFL. In the past two weeks, quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Ben Roethlisberger put the Niners defense through the Veg-O-Matic. San Francisco offered almost no resistance to the terrific quarterbacks.

Next week, the Niners have to face Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Many consider him to be the best quarterback in the league. How do the 49ers prepare to stop him?

Do they use new pre-snap disguises to try to confuse him? Do they use more fire-zone blitzes to attack his protection packages? Or do they simply pray Rodgers has an off game?

Time of Possession Is a Worthless Stat

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Here’s how you know time of possession is a worthless stat: In Week 3, the Niners had the ball for 36 minutes, 32 seconds—13 minutes longer than the Cardinals. Arizona still outscored San Francisco by 40 points.

The Niners ran 50 plays on offense but gained just 156 yards and scored only seven points.

This has been a season-long problem for San Francisco. Through three games, the Niners offense is averaging 3:01 per drive, per Pro-Football-Reference.com, which ranks seventh in the NFL. And yet San Francisco has scored only 45 points—the fewest in the NFL.

The goal of offense is to score points, not to win the time-of-possession battle. An offense that holds the ball but can’t score points runs the clock down on itself.

C Marcus Martin Is the Weakest Link on the Offensive Line

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

The right side of the offensive line took a lot of flak in the first few weeks of the season. But on Sunday against the Cardinals, right guard Jordan Devey and right tackle Erik Pears each played well, especially in pass protection.

But the center, Marcus Martin, was awful. Pro Football Focus gave him a minus-6.0 grade and blamed him for two quarterback hits.

Martin’s problem is that he’s weak. NFL defensive linemen manhandle him. He’s only 21 years old, and at the combine in 2014, he managed just 23 reps on the bench.

The Niners offensive line might be decent when starting center Daniel Kilgore returns from a broken ankle. Until then, it will struggle.

QB Colin Kaepernick’s Confidence May Be at an All-Time Low

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Sure, quarterback Colin Kaepernick could have a resurgence and become the toast of the town once again. It's possible.

But based on the way he played against the Cardinals and his facial expressions and demeanor, you probably shouldn’t expect a resurgence anytime soon. He probably doesn't expect one, either. His confidence seems lower than low tide at Half Moon Bay.

Kaepernick has always had the physical tools—arm strength, escape ability, etc.—to become a successful quarterback. But for some reason, despite working with a myriad of tutors, Kaepernick hasn't been able to master the nuances of his position. And now he seems frustrated and discouraged.

The Niners have to be careful with Kaepernick. He's on the way to Matt Schaub territory. With a few more pick-sixes, he could lose his confidence permanently.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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