The San Francisco 49ers have made a change at quarterback, and it's not one that inspires a lot of confidence. After a 2-6 start, the team elected to bench starter Colin Kaepernick and will be replacing him with Blaine Gabbert when San Francisco hosts the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Falcons vs. 49ers 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Blaine Gabbert will be starting for the 49ers against Matt Ryan and the Falcons on Sunday.
Atlanta is 6-2 and would be favored in Sunday's game regardless of which player the 49ers start at quarterback. But Gabbert has done nothing in the past to show he's going to be any better than Kaepernick. Gabbert has completed 53.2 percent of his passes for 23 touchdowns and 24 interceptions since being made a first-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011.
Gabbert is inaccurate with his passes, he doesn’t protect the football and, unlike Kaepernick, has little to offer with his legs. It’s possible that Gabbert is more comfortable with the 49ers offense and will have improved since his days in Jacksonville, but the Falcons have plenty of bad film to work with.
That said, Kaepernick has not been good this year by any stretch of the imagination. He’s completed 144 of 243 passes for 1,615 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions. He also has 256 rushing yards and a touchdown. Those stats aren’t horrible, but Kaepernick has done little to make plays for the 49ers this season.
His accuracy has been off and he’s making basic mechanical mistakes, which is the main reason why he was eventually benched. Gabbert will now be the starter, but his weapons are depleted -- Carlos Hyde and Anquan Boldin are both expected to miss this week’s game.
Gabbert will be facing an Atlanta defense that ranks 11th in the league in yards allowed per game. The Falcons rank 24th in the league against the pass and third against the run. There are definitely worse situations for Gabbert to be in for his first start, but the Falcons secondary has under-performed for much of the season. They also haven’t been great at creating turnovers -- Atlanta sits at minus-2 in the turnover margin. San Francisco is plus-1.
The Falcons struggled with turnovers in their last outing, a loss to the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was Tampa Bay's third win of the year, and the Falcons were heavy favorites going into the game. But quarterback Matt Ryan tossed an interception and also fumbled the ball twice. The Falcons lost three fumbles in that game, and didn't manage a single takeaway against the turnover-prone Jameis Winston.
Still, the 49ers look to be a solid bounce-back opportunity for a Falcons team that is going strong at 6-2 on the season. Atlanta has dropped games against the Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints, which is a major concern as those are the only divisional rivals they have played this year. The Carolina Panthers are unbeaten and the Falcons can't afford to lose to teams like the Buccaneers and the 49ers.
How to Watch
When: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
TV: FOX
Commentators: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Jennifer Hale
Online: NFL Game Pass
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