49ers vs. Seahawks: San Francisco Grades, Notes and Quotes
The San Francisco 49ers couldn't figure out a way to stop the Seattle Seahawks' running game in Week 11 despite having an added week of preparation coming off a bye.
Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls finished the contest with 255 all-purpose yards, and the 49ers missed numerous opportunities to bring him down in attempts to minimize the damage.
San Francisco gave up 255 rushing yards, ironically in Rawls' evaluation, in a 29-13 losing effort, which now puts the 49ers at 3-7 on the season.
Seattle got out to a 20-0 lead before the 49ers made it interesting thanks to a touchdown pass from quarterback Blaine Gabbert to tight end Vance McDonald at the end of the first half. Gabbert had some additional impressive moments in the second half, but they weren't enough to reverse the 49ers' fortunes in Seattle.
Rawls, along with poor tackling from the 49ers, ensured San Francisco would continue waiting for another win at CenturyLink Field.
Let's break down the contest and see what happened in Week 11.
Position Grades for 49ers
1 of 7
Positional Grades
Quarterback: B+
Quarterback Blaine Gabbert finished the contest with 22 completions for 264 yards and a touchdown, which amounted to a 101.1 passer rating.
Gabbert looked solid enough on the final San Francisco drive of the first half and decent on the 49ers' opening drive in the third quarter. More importantly, he remained relatively poised in the pocket despite a strong Seahawks pass rush.
Running Back: D+
With No. 1 back Carlos Hyde (foot) still sidelined, Shaun Draughn continued to shoulder the majority of carries for San Francisco's offense.
Draughn finished the day with 12 carries for 37 yards and also hauled in eight passes for 40 yards in the process.
Still, he only averaged 3.1 yards per carry.
Wide Receivers: C
Veteran wideout Anquan Boldin made his first appearance since Week 7. He led all San Francisco receiving targets with 93 yards on five catches.
Fellow receiver Torrey Smith was a virtual non-factor with just one catch for 16 yards, and the 49ers didn't get much production out of supplementary wideouts Quinton Patton and Bruce Ellington.
Tight End: B
Tight end Vance McDonald recorded his first touchdown as a pro on a 19-yard reception from Gabbert. McDonald's 65 receiving yards on the day easily marks this contest as the third-year pro's best game with the 49ers.
And fellow TE Garrett Celek continued to be a nice target for Gabbert with two receptions for 35 yards.
Offensive Line: D+
Right tackle Erik Pears continued to struggle in Week 11 and, by observation, was responsible for both sacks of Gabbert. Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril recorded both sacks and easily worked around Pears during the process.
More problematic was the offensive line's inability to win the battle at the line of scrimmage. Running lanes weren't created adequately enough to establish San Francisco's ground attack.
This unit continues to be a problem despite better pocket awareness from Gabbert.
Defensive Line: F
San Francisco's defense had no answers for Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls. And the initial points of penetration from Rawls could not be closed up by the 49ers defensive front.
Defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey came out of the game with a knee injury, which meant rookie end Arik Armstead received an increase in playing time.
He finished with six tackles and one quarterback hit.
Linebackers: F
Like the defensive line, the 49ers linebacker crop couldn't contain Rawls when he reached the second level.
Missed tackles were a primary culprit for San Francisco's defense, and the 49ers linebackers were equally a problem when it came to bringing down Seahawks ball-carriers.
Defensive Backs: D
San Francisco's secondary was equally responsible for the defense's tackling woes on Sunday. Twelve missed tackles, and a series of defensive breakdowns in the defensive backfield, paved the way for Rawls' huge game.
Safety Eric Reid led the 49ers with 10 tackles, but his efforts were far from enough to stop Seattle's ground attack.
Special Teams: B
Kicker Phil Dawson was a perfect 2-of-2 in field-goal attempts, and he continues to be a primary weapon for San Francisco's offense.
Punter Bradley Pinion averaged 43.7 yards on seven punts.
Coaching: F
Poor execution on tackling falls, almost entirely, on the coaching staff. With two weeks of preparation, the 49ers defense came out flat and uninspired.
And the results speak for themselves.
Equally problematic was the final 49ers punt. Trailing by 16 late in the fourth quarter, head coach Jim Tomsula elected to punt the ball away instead of, somehow, trying to go for it and, just maybe, finding a way to keep San Francisco's slim hopes alive. That's not good.
At all.
Blaine Gabbert Continues to Hold His Own
2 of 7
One of the few bright spots from San Francisco's loss was the continued play of quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
In addition to Gabbert's 264 passing yards and 101.1 passer rating, the 49ers' new starting quarterback was also able to rush for 22 yards, and not just at the first moment his protection broke down.
Gabbert's two-minute drill at the tail end of the first half was solid enough against a stout Seahawks defense. Gabbert regularly found open targets and, for the most part, found smart reads on the drive that culminated in tight end Vance McDonald's touchdown catch—the only end-zone find San Francisco would have on the day.
"I thought the poise that Blaine showed today was really good," head coach Jim Tomsula said per the team's Twitter. "I'm not into moral victories, but that was encouraging."
Gabbert and the 49ers offense will face another tough defense when the team hosts the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12.
49ers Run Defense Struggles Versus Thomas Rawls
3 of 7
No. 2 running back Thomas Rawls received the bulk of carries on the ground for Seattle with featured back Marshawn Lynch out with an abdominal injury.
And he made the most of the efforts.
San Francisco's defense, thanks largely to a plethora of missed tackles, struggled to contain Rawls, who finished the contest with 209 yards on 30 carries—an average of 7.0 yards per attempt.
Rawls easily worked over the 49ers defense throughout all four quarters, and his elusiveness was one of many reasons behind his breakout performance.
But defensive lapses from San Francisco also gave Rawls plenty of opportunity.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Linebacker NaVorro Bowman Returns to CenturyLink Field
4 of 7
Prior to the game, linebacker NaVorro Bowman paused for a moment at the spot where he suffered his gruesome knee injury during the 2013 NFC Championship Game.
“I just want to win, but, of course, some emotions will be inside of me,” Bowman said on Friday per the team's website. “I plan on revisiting the spot where I went down at and just thanking God for having a chance to be back out there.”
Bowman and the 49ers defense didn't have the stellar game they might have hoped for in Week 11, as Seattle totaled 508 yards of offense and dominated the time-of-possession battle 37:39 to 22:21.
The perennial All-Pro linebacker appeared to tweak his previously injured knee during the contest, but Bowman remained in the game for its duration.
Head Coach Jim Tomsula on the Team's Efforts
5 of 7
Two weeks' preparation wasn't enough for head coach Jim Tomsula's squad to put itself into a position to win over the Seahawks.
A lack of tackling should be viewed as the No. 1 culprit behind the 49ers' loss. And tackling is a matter of fundamentals. Fundamentals fall upon the coaching staff, despite the obvious lack of execution.
"I was very disappointed in the way we played the run today," Tomsula said per the team's Twitter. "I was definitely disappointed in the performance. The run fits, you have to be solid on the run fits and the tackling."
True, some of the execution—or lack thereof—falls upon the players themselves. But the responsibility is also on the coaching staff to put its players in a position to succeed.
The results speak for themselves.
And Tomsula's decision to punt late in the game down by two scores provided an even stranger answer.
Tackle Joe Staley and Guard Alex Boone on the Loss
6 of 7
The 49ers offensive line wasn't of much assistance to San Francisco's efforts in Week 11 and continued to allow pressure on quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
Aside from left tackle Joe Staley, the O-line has been a major issue all season. And right tackle Erik Pears continues to be a liability in pass protection.
"We knew this was a big game," Staley said following the game. "We didn't do enough to win. It's very frustrating and it's embarrassing. It's not what we play for."
Left guard Alex Boone was even more candid.
"Sh---y performance by everybody and that's what you get when you play like s--t," said Boone per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.
At least Boone isn't holding anything back.
Gabbert on the End Result
7 of 7
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick's season and, perhaps, his tenure in San Francisco is over, as the former No. 1 signal-caller finds himself on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.
Barring another injury, Blaine Gabbert will remain the 49ers' starter for the remainder of the year. And, if he continues to perform adequately enough, he could be a part of San Francisco's plans in 2016 depending on what the team does in the draft.
In the meantime, Gabbert will focus on his on-field efforts down the stretch. And, despite his strong showing in Seattle, the quarterback isn't exactly pleased with the end result.
"At the end of the day, we didn't do enough to win," Gabbert said per the 49ers. "We need touchdowns in the red zone."
Gabbert may have had a good game from an individual perspective. But San Francisco's offense was 2-of-11 on third downs. And the 49ers converted just one red-zone touchdown on three visits.
Those numbers aren't going to help win on the road in Seattle.
All statistics, injury reports, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.
Peter Panacy is a Featured Columnist covering the San Francisco 49ers for Bleacher Report. Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")