The San Francisco 49ers just wrapped up a Week 6 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and naturally, head coach Chip Kelly is already getting questions about the team’s Week 7 starting quarterback. When asked if Colin Kaepernick will start next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he said, “We’ll see.”
Kaepernick made his first start since Week 8 of the 2015 season, and there was good and bad on the day. He completed 13 of 29 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. He rushed eight times for 66 yards, and was sacked three times. Through the air, Kaepernick was all over the place. We saw some really good throws, but we also saw some bad throws. We’ll have to see what the film says regarding his decision-making, but aside from trying to force things late, his decision-making was not bad. It was more the execution that was too inconsistent.
On the ground, we saw Kaepernick bring an improved dynamic to the offense. Blaine Gabbert actually out-rushed him ten days ago, finishing with 70 yards, but Kaepernick on the ground just seems like an entirely different weapon. It will be interesting to see how defenses work on maintaining their lane discipline, but Kaepernick as a scrambler is a big weapon for the 49ers.
It would be a stunning surprise to see someone other than Colin Kaepernick start next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Blaine Gabbert got five starts before getting benched. Kaepernick has one game under his belt. We saw a little bit of everything, both good and bad, from Kaepernick. One game did not provide enough to make a decision. And so, I fully expect to see Kaepernick back out there next week against the Bucs.