New coach, same old 49ers in Seattle
SEATTLE — Once upon a time, the 49ers defense looked so inspiring and dominant, having opened the season with a shutout win for the first time in franchise history.
Since then, missed tackles, blown assignments, unsecured sacks and myriad mistakes have ruined any chance of stealing a road victory at a NFC powerhouse.
The 49ers suffered another road rout Sunday, falling behind 37-3 en route to a 37-18 loss to the ever-punishing Seattle Seahawks. This one followed a 46-27 loss at Carolina.
“They came out and jumped on us,” linebacker NaVorro Bowman said.
Bowman, the defense’s established leader, tried snuffing out any comparisons to last season’s foreshadowing woes, when they lost 43-18 at Pittsburgh and 47-7 at Arizona in Weeks 2 and 3.
“(There is) no familiarity, because we know what happened today,” Bowman said. “Sometimes last year, we just didn’t know what happened. But we know what happened today.
“You have to be a professional, correct those mistakes and get better.”
The 49ers (1-2) also made too many mistakes on offense en route to their sixth straight defeat in Seattle. They went 0 for 10 on thirddown conversions through three quarters, and Blaine Gabbert didn’t eclipse the 100-yard passing mark until 1:55 remained.
Gabbert finished 14 of 25 for 119 yards with one interception, no touchdowns and, remarkably, no sacks. New coach Chip Kelly said he never considered replacing Gabbert with Colin Kaepernick, who continues to be known more this season for kneeling during the
49ERS SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Sept. 12 vs. Los Angeles Sept. 18 @Carolina Sept. 25 @Seattle Date Oct. 2 Oct. 6 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30 Nov. 6 Nov. 13 Nov. 20 Nov. 27 Dec. 4 Dec. 11 Dec. 18 Dec. 24 Jan. 1 Opponent vs. Dallas vs.Arizona @Buffalo vs. Tampa Bay OPEN DATE 5:25p.m. vs. New Orleans 1:05 p.m. @Arizona vs. New England 1:25 p.m. @Miami @Chicago vs. NY Jets @Atlanta @Los Angeles vs. Seattle Result W, 28-0 L, 46-27 L, 37-18 1:05 p.m. 1:05 p.m. 1:25 p.m. national anthem along with defenders Eric Reid and, as of Sunday, Eli Harold.
“I think Kaepernick gives the team a better chance to win, but that’s just my opinion,” Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said.
With a dearth of playmakers and Kelly’s offensive scheme still being introduced, the 49ers figured to rely early this season on a maturing defense that general manager Trent Baalke largely rebuilt through recent drafts.
The 49ers lost 2014 firstround pick Jimmie Ward to a quadriceps injury in noncontact fashion on a secondquarter kickoff coverage.
Bowman didn’t agree that the 49ers’ more experienced players should yield immediate dividends this season.
“You say they’re experienced. This is the NFL, (where) game plans change every single week,” Bowman said. “There’s a lot of things you guys don’t know.
“We’re playing a very intense and tricky game,” Bowman continued. “You have to study and be on it and be ready to make those plays out there.”
The Seahawks (2-1) had scored only one touchdown and 15 points in their first two games. They scored in the opening minute when Christine Michael split Bowman and fellow linebacker Gerald Hodges for a 41-yard touchdown run. That came on the Seahawks’ third snap, and it followed a 34yard catch Doug Baldwin made against Chris Davis.
“There’s times when we’re there to make a tackle and we don’t make the tackle, we don’t get the ballcarrier down,” Kelly said. “We’ll look at everything we have to do to fix it.”
Kelly, Bowman, Gabbert and almost every other player who spoke after the game echoed the same message: they’ll study the video, spot their mistakes and correct them. That didn’t work, however, between Weeks 2 and 3, obviously.
After yielding 529 yards to the Panthers, the 49ers allowed 418 yards to the Seahawks, who had 311 yards en route to a 24-3 halftime lead.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson passed for 243 yards and two touchdowns before sustaining a third-quarter knee injury. Eli Harold tackled Wilson for a would-be sack, but it got nullified once officials flagged Harold for a horsecollar tackle.
Rookie Trevone Boykin replaced Wilson, who had never previously missed a snap to injury in his career. Boykin was 7 of 9 for 65 yards, with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin and an interception into the gut of linebacker Nick Bellore.
The Seahawks offense converted 9 of 14 third-down situations. The 49ers allowed the Panthers to convert 7 of 15, after limiting the Los Angeles Rams to 3 of 15 in the 28-0 opening win.
“They were better than us today, but it’s one game and one day,” defensive tackle Arik Armstead said. “I don’t think that defines us as a team.”
The NFC West standings define the 49ers as a co-inhabitant of last place, with the Arizona Cardinals, who they will host Oct. 6 after this coming Sunday’s home game against the Dallas Cowboys.