The 49ers lost the Super Bowl 34-31 on Sunday. Here is the grade for Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick: B. He erased 20 points of a 22-point deficit almost singlehandedly in the second half. He threw a touchdown and ran for a touchdown – a 15-yard TD run, one of the best QB TD runs ever in a Super Bowl, Kaepernick dropping back and exploding around the left side, scoring in an instant. He accounted for 364 of the 49ers’ 468 total net yards.
But he threw an interception, he scored in just two of his six red zone trips, and he converted just two of nine third downs. Those are losing statistics.
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Kap made some mistakes, but as has become quite clear, he is unflappable. The kid has ice water in his veins and doesn’t get demoralized if things go sideways. The ability he showed throwing the football over the course of the last 4-5 games is quite amazing for a guy many thought would struggle to find his accuracy for a few years. He was really good in the second half and almost pulled out an improbable victory in a game they had no business winning after the horrific first 31 mins they played.
It’s really tough to find positives right now because of the disappointment, but to watch how quickly Kap has progressed from being thought of as raw and relying on athletic prowess to being one of the most explosive offensive players in the game has been remarkable. He’s only going to get better too which is a little surreal considering how good he already is. He got an invaluable education yesterday and he appears to be the type of guy who will use it as supreme motivation to make sure that never happens again.
Rocket,
+1
The only way for the 49ers to lose was if they gifted the game to the Ravens, and that’s what happened.
Also, check out Bruce Miller getting tackled out of the hole on the the KO return for a TD. Two Ravens were holding him.
I thought I was the only person who saw that. The CBS commentators never said a word about that even after showing the replays several times. That should’ve been caught by the zebras.
What I can’t believe is that nobody on this blog is picking up on it. That was as bad as any no call I’ve ever seen. There wasn’t just one guy holding him, there were two. And they weren’t the least bit subtle about it. It was almost like the Ravens planned a middle return with Miller being taken out by any means necessary, and then hope for a no call. It was right out in the open, it was obvious, and it was a game changer.
Bottom line is he played one of the worst first halves of the season and so did the defense. I’m glad Kap and the rest of the team were able to rally in the 2nd, but it is extremely frustrating to come out and play such a bad first half given all the preparation. We looked scared and not ready for the moment and that goes on coaches too. Yes, I’m excited for the future, but it does not make me feel any better.
Most important “play” of the game. Kaep not getting the play off and forced to take a TO. That’s the difference between getting the ball left with 1 min and 4 seconds.
That was a tough one, especially since it looked like the 49ers won that play at the snap, and would’ve scored.
We don’t know for sure who that was on, but it wasn’t good, that’s for sure.
Watching the game it was easy to forget that he was making just his 10th start of his career. From the preseason last year (where he looked horrible) to this preseason (where he showed a marked improvement) to when he took over for AS in the rams game the progress that Kaep made was remarkable. Now that he gets live fire experience and faces multiple game situations his development should speed up even more. All these things should make me happy but i realize the herdened NFL truth that its no guarantee to get there no matter how talented u are. Marino only got to one Even PManning and Favre only made it to two (each) and theyre considered best Qb’s of all time. Nothing is promised but the future trully looks bright. CK strikes me as the type to have this loss fuel him in his quest to become one of the greats
Love Kaepernick so don’t crucify me for this but his last 2 plays were reads to Crabtree and didn’t look to nobody else he has to look for a other target or run. The play call was the OC and they were wrong.
Exactly how was Kap supposed to scan the field with a blitzer right in his face on that last play. He still managed to put the ball in a catchable spot for Crabtree , if not for the non call holding. Why we didnt have Kap roll out on that play I will never understand.
Grant correctly states: “But he threw an interception, he scored in just two of his six red zone trips, and he converted just two of nine third downs. Those are losing statistics.”
B=Good. As in Bill Walsh saying: “Good enough to lose”.
Kap also took two costly sacks. He ran out of bounds on two occasions instead of running with abandon like he did against a faster set of Packer linebackers. He waited until less than two seconds on the play clock almost all game. He forced the issue to Crabtree on more than one play.
Wish Kap would have read the blitz and called the hot play to Delanie cutting across the quick seam like Niners ran to beat Detroit last year in the final drive of that game.
Crabtree caught the pass and bounced off two defenders and ran the last 15 yards. Gore ran the 33 yards to get us in position. That is not single handed.
I don’t understand the love fest over Kap’s progress or potential. He had a job to do and along with his teammates, he did not do his job.
“But he threw an interception, he scored in just two of his six red zone trips, and he converted just two of nine third downs. Those are losing statistics.”
Kap did not lose the game, the D did in the 1st half.
Kap didn’t win the game either, that’s what sets him apart. I think he was rattled in the 1st half, even though he doesn’t show it. He was also rattled on the last plays. He didn’t scan the field, he only had eyes for Crab. That was a Hail Mary to me, four times in a row, when we had a chance to make history!
On the last two plays, I did not even SEE any other options. Those were horribly designed plays. That “Student Body Right” rollout on third down, with only Crabs in front of Kaepernick, was a joke.
Go easy on Kaepernick. This was an off the charts performance from a guy who could count his NFL starts on both hands. Any rational observer has to be beyond impressed by his play. He is fabulous.
What is not so impressive is what the 49ers continue to offer as wideouts. I thought that Smith could have won a Super Bowl with Manning’s wideouts last year, and I think Kaepernick could have won yesterday with Boldin, Smith and Pitta to throw to instead of Crabtree, Davis and a washed up Moss. Time to get that fixed if you want a run of rings.
Kap played a decent game. Flacco played an outstanding one. Flacco’s performance was fully deserving of an MVP award. It’s hard to beat a team when the QB is making plays out of nothing – I remember when we did it to others.
Like the rest of the team, Kaepernick was too tight to open the game. The coaching staff did not do a good job of emotional preparation. Jimbo would have been better off dressing as a bellhop and screaming a little less.
Kaep looked, for the first time, tentative after his pick. The blackout gave him time to settle down and then he played well enough to win. We just needed better play selection on the try for 2 and the final goal line sequence.
Quit calling time outs in the third quarter for any reason!!! Take the damn delay of game penalty. If the Niners had three time outs instead of one, they would have had two chances to score the winning TD instead of the one chance they got.
Actually, we would have used them on defense on the last Ravens possession, meaning after three plays there would have been 1:50 or so remaining. But that means the Ravens would have seriously attempted to get the first down, probably throwing instead of running three times. No better than 50-50 that our defense would have held them, probably less. But if we did get the ball back down five with nearly two minutes, I would have liked our chances. Of our course, I liked our chances with First and Goal… but we did not seal the deal.
i think the grade, and the comments here, are all pretty fair and measured, which is pretty impressive when you consider how disappointed we all are. kudos to my Niner Faithful fans.
when you lose, and you lose in the fashion we did – looking terrible for the first 31 minutes – it means the highest grade for anyone has got to be around a B. Kaep flashed the skills that have impressed us all so much – the rocket arm, the generally great accuracy, and speed like a runaway thoroughbred – but unfortunately if you want to be called great, you have to find a way to convert the chances you get, and being in the Super Bowl, and being at the 7 yard line with 4 plays to make it, are the very definition of those chances. this is why i’d occasionally crucify Alex, for not making something happen when something was offered on a platter. but i’ll give Kaep a pass for all the reasons everyone else has noted, and for the fact that he simply, in my opinion, was one of the key reasons we got this far. I just wish we could put Justin Smith and Frank Gore in amber and preserve them for another 2 years to see what these guys could all do together, but my solemn mood comes from the fact that time marches on like a mother in the NFL, and our next shots will come with contributions coming from perhaps the same crew, but in different measures. which means Kaep has to continue to get better; and i think he will.
….”next year”… huh, Cap?
Before you even think about reaching it to another Super Bowl, you will have to face me and my new team. How will it feel if we hand you your lunch?
Stay tuned….
Come on AS4P
Alex will surely find a job as a QB and wont have to hand lunches out to people
Grant
Just got finished watching the game for the third time. Every time I watch, the 9ers lose. The first half of QB play is a D-. The second half of play is a B-, for all the things that you have mentioned, plus the game was on the line and the QB did not deliver . I my mind that is a solid C-.
A B is simply too kind. His playing calling and execution at the end of the game is enough to garner a C or worse. A fade route? Talk about a rookie mistake at the worst possible time.
Regardless of what he did to get them close he didn’t do enough when it counted the most and he should be graded accordingly.
Here is a snippet from Maiocco’s breakdown of the final four plays :”The Ravens come with a five-man rush.Walker is open at the goal line, but Kaepernick locks onto Crabtree. Graham’s coverage is good, and Ravens’ third corner Jimmy Smith comes in and makes a helmet-to-chin hit on Crabtree to break up the pass. Even if Crabtree had made the catch, it would’ve gained just 2 yards.
This is the play, I’m sure, Kaepernick wants back. Walker was open, and Kaepernick could’ve easily delivered the pass before safety Bernard Pollard could get there.”
Why do I find zero mention of Colin missing the open Walker for the go ahead touch down in any of Grant’s break downs? This isn’t an Alex versus Colin argument I simply that feel that Mr. Cohn’s objectivity could at times be a bit more, objective.
How does Matt know it wasn’t a one-read play? Don’t question my objectivity.
Grant Cohn says:
February 5, 2013 at 10:14 am
Don’t question my objectivity.
Why not? I’m supposed to assume your immune from being subjective? Kind of hard when your closing summary to a B grade is the following :”But he threw an interception, he scored in just two of his six red zone trips, and he converted just two of nine third downs. Those are losing statistics.”
Honestly answer this Grant, would you have given Alex Smith a B for the same performance?
Yes, I would have. 31 points. Almost 400 total yards. He was the best player on the field in the second half.
I disagree with Matt’s take. The play was obviously designed for Crabtree. He lined up in the backfield, went in motion, Kaepernick took a three-step drop and never looked anywhere else. It didn’t look like a survery-your-options play. It looked like a one-ready play. It reminded me of Ryan’s incomplete pass to Roddy White to end the NFC Championship game. Tony Gonzalez was open, but that play was intended for White and no one else.
OK well I’ll I’m not certain of that. 16/28 300 yards 1TD and 1INT are Good stats for a regular game, not great but good. However your last summation are all points that you used to kill Alex for and given that it was the Super Bowl I really believe that if it was the QB that you personally doubt instead of the one that you personally like then you wouldn’t have been as forgiving for not winning the game and not making the conversions in the red zone and on third down.
Colin is the better QB i’m not doubting or questioning that, i’m questioning your objectivity in grading their performances.
60+ rush yards, a Super Bowl record, and a rushing TD, too. Alex Smith never was the best player on the field ever in his career.
I don’t personally like Kaepernick or have a stake in his success. I call it like I see it. He was the best player on the field and he made a few mistakes.
Grant, that has nothing to do with my point that you cant objectively grade the two QB’s.
That’s a ridiculous claim. I never under-graded Alex Smith, and I’m not over-grading Kaepernick.
It’s not ridiculous Grant, I’m sorry if you are taking it personally I should have worded it to sound less accusatory as I was trying to simply maintain a dialogue and not make it sound like I’m questioning your integrity. However my opinion on the subject is not ridiculous as I’m far from the only one here that believes you’ve at times been much kinder to Colin then you would have been to Alex under the same circumstances.
Like when?
I was wrong to say that you “can’t” grade them objectively, you simply haven’t always chosen to do so.
I don’t want to go in circles with you buddy I get dizzy enough doing that with some of the posters on here. I don’t feel like spending the time at the moment going through the blog archives so I can cut/paste snippets for my argument and then just have you disagree and say that you’d have graded the two equally. The subject isn’t worth the time for either of us. I’m going to agree to disagree and call it a draw unless you feel a need to continue?
I’m sorry you feel I have a bias. I believe I don’t, I’ll work harder to convey that in the future. But I stand by my Super Bowl grades.
I’m just a schmuck that has to much free time at work, If I actually knew a better way to do your job then I’d have it. ;)
I definitely see your case for a lower grade for Kaepernick. You make good points. Still, I’m sticking with my grade.
Coffee,
Kaepernick impacts the game in a much different manner than Smith. If Smith had been starting, maybe he doesn’t throw the pick, but he is sacked quite a few times, he doesn’t make some of the throws that CK makes in that game, and he doesn’t run for the yards CK does. What happened against the Ravens last year? Nine sacks? People blamed the O-line when Smith was holding onto the ball. CK had a huge impact on the game after the team settled down. The defense gave up 35 points. Is that a championship caliber defense? CK is the reason that this team made it as far as it did and he almost had them over the top. People like to tout the Saints playoff game as Smith’s shining moment, but they ignore the fact that the offense benefited from five Saints turnovers. Five, in one game. The probability of a victory with a +4 turnovers margin (because Smith lost a fumble in that game) is over 90%, yet they needed to come back twice to win the game. Smith benefited from a +28 turnover differential last year, by far the highest in the NFL. This year their turnover differential is +9. That is a difference of 19 turnovers in their favor. Considering that a +1 turnover differential improves the odds of winning to around 65%, it’s easy to see how big of an impact that an extra 19 turnovers would have created. CK has been the equalizer to the drop in turnovers, despite not having a great receiving corps outside of Crabtree. It was no different on Sunday. I predicted the Niners would win 31-20. I thought the defense would play better, they didn’t. Despite them not playing well, we almost won the game and a huge part of that is Colin.
BP we weren’t debating Colin’s effectiveness or value. It was a disagreement about how the reviews were being written.
I understand that, but there is a difference in how they are graded because his impact on the game is different than Smith’s-even with identical stats. He makes throws that Smith can’t make and he makes plays with his feet that Smith can’t make. The defense has to always account for him instead of simply focusing on defending his throws. I understand what you are saying, but you have to take into account the impact he had on the game, not just the stats.
Grant Cohn says:
February 5, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Still, I’m sticking with my grade.
————————————–
Private Joker, are you trying to offend me?
Sir, NEGATIVE, sir! Sir, the private believes any answer he gives will be wrong and the Senior Drill Instructor will only beat him harder if he reverses himself, SIR!