The first time the San Francisco 49ers played the Arizona Cardinals this season, Blaine Gabbert was the quarterback for the former. Gabbert was as ineffective as ever, and it was one of the worse games pointed to when the case was made to switch to Colin Kaepernick at quarterback.
So what happens if Kaepernick performs much better?
There seems to be a rhetoric around this game that it’s more important for Kaepernick than other games this season. Out-performing Gabbert seems like a big deal in this case, and I’m honestly not sure why. Is it simply because they are NFC West rivals, or was Gabbert just that bad?
More importantly, is there even a chance that Kaepernick can retain his job going into next season? Is there a situation where Kaepernick blows out the Cardinals and that plays a large enough role in the 49ers’ decision-making process.
The Cleveland Browns are the worst team in football. The 49ers are just a tiny bit better. For most, many think the 49ers simply need to move on from all quarterbacks on the roster regardless of what happens the rest of this season, and to try and get something in the draft.
Is that true, though? Does quarterback play matter at all for the 49ers from here on out? Is there such thing as a seven-week holding pattern at a position when there is the youth that is currently at the position? It’s kind of crazy how high of ceilings all these quarterbacks once had, how young they still are, and how obviously ruined they all appear to be.
So does Sunday matter? Does it matter in any equation outside of the 49ers’ draft spot? Can Kaepernick earn a paycheck next season, or is Kaepernick himself in a holding pattern? I’m honestly not sure myself. I have no idea if the on-field product means anything anymore, especially with the quarterback position.