Biggest Takeaways from San Francisco 49ers' Week 12 Loss

First big takeaway from the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 12 loss: Their defense plays well at home.

The Niners held the top-ranked Arizona Cardinals offense to just 19 points Sunday afternoon. Through six home games this season, the Niners have allowed just 15.8 points per game and only 3.7 yards per carry.

On the road, though, the Niners have allowed 35.2 points per game and 4.5 yards per carry away. They play with no passion away from Levi’s Stadium. They’re a young defense that feeds off the excitement of their home crowd.

Here are five more takeaways from the 49ers’ Week 12 loss.

Shaun Draughn (RB) Seems Like a Keeper

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In three games with the 49ers this season, running back Shaun Draughn has averaged 86.3 yards from scrimmage per game—not bad for a guy who was a free agent a few weeks ago.

Draughn actually has become a focal point of the Niners offense. Since joining the team, he has carried the ball 43 times and caught 17 passes. Blaine Gabbert loves throwing him the ball.

Draughn isn’t a special running back—he’s averaging merely 3.4 yards per carry. But, he’s playing behind an offensive line that struggles to create running room. Carlos Hyde, the team’s leading rusher, is averaging only 4.1 yards per carry.

Draughn seems like a well-rounded backup. The Niners should hold onto him.

Eli Harold (OLB) Seems Like a Bust

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Rookie outside linebacker Eli Harold is supposed to be a pass-rushing specialist.

He certainly isn’t a run-stuffing specialist. He doesn’t “set the edge,” as coaches say. He’s only 247 pounds, which is light for a 3-4 outside linebacker. He’s a speed rusher.

But, he has zero sacks this season, and only one quarterback hit, according to Pro Football Focus. That's unacceptable production from a third-round pick.

Compare Harold to rookie outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin, whom the New York Jets drafted three picks after Harold. Mauldin already has four sacks this season—he seems like a good player. Harold seems like a bust.

Geep Chryst Is a Timid Play-Caller

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Offensive coordinator Geep Chryst coaches a dink-and-dunk offense. Occasionally, he takes shots downfield with play-action passes, but he almost never tries to pick up a first down on third down. Chryst gets the ball out of the quarterback’s hands as fast as possible.

Chryst is content to punt.

Against the Cardinals, the 49ers converted zero third downs. Zip. Chryst kept calling passes that landed short of the first-down marker. Bad strategy.

Chryst should try using seven blockers on third-down plays. The extra protection will give Gabbert extra time to throw the ball past the marker.

Blaine Gabbert Is Not the Long-Term Answer at Quarterback

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Blaine Gabbert's goal is to play without making mistakes, and yet he still makes them.

Gabbert is a safety-first quarterback, like former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith. But Smith is actually good at playing safety first. Smith hardly ever makes mistakes. He has thrown just three interceptions all season.

Gabbert has thrown three interceptions in three games as the Niners starting quarterback. His career interception percentage is 3.1, which is way too high for a game manager.

The Niners would be foolish to believe Gabbert is their long-term answer at quarterback. They need to take a quarterback in the first or second round of the upcoming draft.

The 49ers Seem Weak-Minded

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After losing to the Cardinals Week 12, 49ers players complained about the officiating.

“If you’re going to call the game that way, call it both ways—don’t let it just be so lopsided where it’s blatant,” Anquan Boldin said, as if the officials were biased against the Niners—as if the officials were the reason the Niners lost.

The officials were bad—no disputing that. They missed calls all game, including what should have been a delay-of-game penalty against Arizona in the fourth quarter.

But they helped the Niners, too. During the first quarter, the Cardinals offense was facing 1st-and-10 from the Niners' 15-yard line, and San Francisco had 12 men on the field. The officials didn’t realize that until after the play—a two-yard gain for Arizona. Then, the officials threw their flags.

That play never should have counted. The Cardinals should have gotten the ball at the 10-yard line facing 1st-and-5 after the penalty. Instead, they got the ball at the 8-yard line facing 2nd-and-3. The officials stole a down from them. They ended up kicking a field goal.

Bad officiating affects both sides, like the weather. Only weak-minded teams whine about stuff like that.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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