49ERS REPORT CARD

Here is how the 49ers (2-2) graded in Sunday’s 28-21 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks (2-2):

PASS OFFENSE: D+ >> Jimmy Garoppolo’s calf injury (unofficially) ushered in the Trey Lance era. No one can say if Garoppolo will regain his job, seeing how his health history is what mostly compelled the 49ers to find an extra QB, one who cost a pricey No. 3 draft pick. Garoppolo is no dummy. He knows how this works, how one can lose/ seize a job. He hates that he got hurt (and that jump on the doublepass debacle couldn’t have helped). “I’ve been in this situation too many times and it gets real old,” Garoppolo said, echoing fans’ thoughts. A touchdown on an opening drive was top-notch Feels Great, Baby. Then came a Jimmy Throw interception, when a defensive back shrewdly figured Garoppolo would seek George Kittle over the middle. The offense bogged down, and Lance couldn’t rescue it, not with improvised runs (Is Kyle Shanahan ready for that gambit?) nor with two touchdown passes to Deebo Samuel. If left tackle Trent Williams’ shoulder injury is serious, that could be a season wrecker more than an injury at any other position, no offense to rookie Jaylon Moore, who would be the one protecting the blindside of a rookie quarterback (who shares a backfield with a rookie running back).

RUN OFFENSE: C >> Trey Sermon ran more convincingly than his starting debut. He collected 89 yards on 19 carries (4.7 yards per carry). He didn’t break any runs longer than 15 yards, however. Lance’s longest run was a 13-yard dash (seven carries, 41 yards). Jacques Patrick’s initial two carries with the 49ers (12 yards) were a mere setup for his third snap, which was a trick-play pass back to Garoppolo for a deep incompletion to George Kittle. No rushing touchdowns for the first time this season, though their 143 rushing yards and 4.9 yards-per-carry average were their best yet.

PASS DEFENSE: D+ >> The 49ers earned an A+ with their pass rush (three sacks) and coverage that forced three-and-out series on Seattle’s first five possessions. And then? Well, they failed to keep Russell Wilson from doing Russell Wilson things. He only passed for 149 yards, but a 12-yard touchdown pass to D.K. Metcalf foiled the 49ers’ shutout bid and stopped the momentum before halftime. Two snaps after Wilson’s go-ahead touchdown run, the Seahawks converted a special-teams takeaway into Wilson’s second touchdown pass, on a brilliant escape from Dontae Johnson’s grasp and Nick Bosa’s pursuit. After halftime, Wilson wasn’t sacked and was hit only twice. Dre Kirkpatrick started hot, faded late, and drew the defense’s NFL-high eighth pass-interference penalty this season. That came on the Seahawks’ final touchdown drive, one that was enhanced by a Ford offside penalty.

RUN DEFENSE: D+ >> A 319-pound defensive tackle (Javon Kinlaw) shouldn’t be the last line of defense on a quarterback scramble for a go-ahead touchdown. Then again, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was busy on other plays in coverage -- on touchdown catches by D.K. Metcalf and Freddie Swain. A 14-yard touchdown run capped an 81-yard drive and put the Seahawks up 28-13, which rendered the final 12 minutes as seemingly garbage time until Lance’s touchdown pass with 80 seconds left. This defense has ONE takeaway (Dre Greenlaw’s pick-six) through four games. Unacceptable.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F >> This isn’t a downgrade against Robbie Gould for injuring his groin before the game, nor is it a damning indictment on Mitch Wishnowsky, their emergency kicker/punter/tackler. No, this grade is mostly because of Trenton Cannon’s fumble(s) on the kickoff return — after the Seahawks took the lead then built on it with another touchdown — followed by another horrendous Cannon return. Back to Wishnowsky for a second: Why dare try a 41-yard field goal after seeing how he barely lined a point-after kick through the wickets? Which leads us to ...

COACHING: F >> Losing your first two home games, and doing so with a disjointed offense (regardless of the quarterback) ... and a second-half retreating defense

... and special-teams miscues ... is no way back to the NFC perch. The double-pass from newcomer Jacques Patrick-to-Garoppolo-toKittle seemed like a gambler thinking they were playing with house money when it was only a 7-0 lead. I despise the “unexpected” clause for Lance’s entry, because that crutch conflicts with the job description of a backup quarterback. Lance admirably offered no excuses (but looked unprepared with limited first-team reps). The 49ers seem adrift. Who will rally them? Is this roster too top-heavy, in that only a few veterans got paid in recent years while everyone else is on prove-it deals? Welcome (back) to last place in the NFC West.

— Cam Inman