Report Card

Handing out grades to the 49ers as they close in on the midpoint of their season while breaking down the positives, negatives and bottom line in each area of the team.

- Craig Massei

QUARTERBACKS: D

Positives: Blaine Gabbert guided the 49ers to touchdowns in each of their first four trips of 2016 into the red zone, a place where the team was horrible last season. He has displayed the ability to make plays with his feet and get the ball out quickly to his receivers with a pinpoint delivery. He had the highest first-half rating of his career at 135.4 in Week 4 after completing 8 of 11 passes for 112 yards. His 135.9 rating in the fourth quarter against Los Angeles ranked second in the NFL in Week 1. Gabbert also established himself as a legitimate secondary rushing threat while running the read option, producing 172 rushing yards and a team-leading 4.4-yard average through five games.

Negatives: The only consistency with Gabbert was that he’s always inconsistent. His inaccuracy was a major problem for the offense as Gabbert sprayed his passes in key situations and several times missed wide-open receivers on plays that could have made a difference in games. He had Torrey Smith wide open down the middle for a potential touchdown in Week 4, only to throw short and wide of the hash to see his pass intercepted. He also misfired on several other long throws that could have ended with a San Francisco receiver in the end zone. Heading toward mid October, Gabbert had completed only 58 percent of his passes, was averaging 178 yards passing per game and had one of the worst passer ratings in the league (69.6), a number lowered by two-interception games against Carolina and Arizona. He had at least one interception in four of San Francisco’s first five games.