Celek hurt; other tight ends step up
McDonald continues to flourish with Gabbert; Bell also contributes
SANTA CLARA — The production of tight end Vance McDonald took off about the same time Blaine Gabbert became the 49ers’ starting quarterback.
Coincidence? “I don’t know,” McDonald said. “You guys can be the judge of that.”
McDonald caught a career-high six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s 19-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
That came after a career-high four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown the previous week against Seattle. In Gabbert’s first start, against Atlanta, McDonald caught two passes — just the second time in his career he had more than one catch in a game.
“He’s doing a great job,” Gabbert said. “He’s working his tail off, and he’s playing at an extremely high level right now — blocking in the run game, catching the ball, and he had some big plays today.”
The 49ers lost starting tight end Garrett Celek to a high-ankle sprain in the first quarter. Celek was in an orthopedic boot and on crutches after the game. His exit provided more opportunities for McDonald and rookie Blake Bell, who caught three passes for 67 yards, including a gain of 48.
“There are a lot of moving parts,” said McDonald, a 2013 second-round draft pick. “Blaine and (Colin Kaepernick) are completely different players. Vernon (Davis) being gone is another huge thing. One-onone matchups were huge today, and the tight ends were easy wins for us, but we’ve got to win the game.”
A fourth-round draft pick out of Oklahoma, Bell had caught three passes for 17 yards entering the game. “I was just ready when my name was called,” Bell said. “Usually I’m in there with three tight ends, but with Celek going down, I was trying to be ready.”
Coach Jim Tomsula said he has always liked the 49ers depth at tight end, adding, “You can go back to training camp, I always said that’s a group I’ve always been really impressed with.”
Gabbert’s 318 passing n yards set a career high, and his only other 300-yard game came in a 2012 loss by the Jacksonville Jaguars at Green Bay. Gabbert completed 25 of 36 passes with one touchdown and one interception. He was particularly dismayed by his two sacks that came on the 49ers’ first and last possessions.
“We’re in the business of winning and losing,” Gabbert said. “It’s never fun when you’re on the losing side. We just got to find ways to put more points on the board. I can’t take a sack there in the first quarter.”
Gabbert opened the final drive by completing four consecutive passes to reach the Cardinals’ 30 with 1:35 remaining. But then came back-to-back incompletions, a third-down sack and an 18-yard catch by Anquan Boldin on fourth-and20, turning the ball over to Arizona with 1:12 left.
Mike Purcell surprisingly n made his first career start and came through with the 49ers’ only sack on Carson Palmer, that coming on the Cardinals’ eventual game-winning drive. Purcell started at right defensive tackle while Quinton Dial shifted to the left side and filled the void of Glenn Dorsey, who suffered a season-ending knee injury a week earlier.
Tomsula said Purcell got the start because Arik Armstead, this year’s first-round draft pick, was battling a shoulder injury. Armstead did play, however, and registered one of the 49ers’ nine hits on Palmer.
Shaun Draughn, making n his third start in place of the injured Carlos Hyde, came through with 86 allpurpose yards, 10 fewer than his starting debut last home game. Draughn had 15 carries for 51 rushing yards and five catches for 35 yards.
“I didn’t expect to have this type of role when I first signed up, but it’s a blessing,” Draughn said. “God has blessed me with this opportunity, and I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and show the guys, show the fans and the organization that I’m here to work.”
The Cardinals converted n Bruce Ellington’s muffed punt return into an eventual 26-yard field goal and 3-0 lead. Ellington fumbled on a kickoff return in last weekend’s loss at Seattle.
It took Phil Dawson’s n 53-yard field goal as time expired for the 49ers to avoid a first-half shutout. But they did get blanked in the first quarter for a third straight game, and they haven’t scored a first-quarter touchdown all season. Dawson has made his past 18 field-goal attempts, the latest being a 33-yard try in the third quarter that tied the score at 13.
Kaepernick, as expected, n did not attend the game, having had surgery on his left shoulder five days earlier in Colorado. Team protocol advises players to stay away from the team facility for a couple of weeks after surgery rather than risk infection.
Outside linebacker Ahmad n Brooks (concussion) did not suit up. Eli Harold started in his place and had only one tackle, as did backup Corey Lemonier.
Boldin’s eight receptions n raised his career total to 984, moving him past Randy Moss (982) for 13thmost in NFL history.
Cardinals defensive n back Tyrann Mathieu again came through with a big game against the 49ers. He had 13 tackles, two pass defenses and a first-quarter interception. He had two interceptions, and returned one for a touchdown, in Arizona’s 47-7 win over the 49ers on Sept. 27.