49ers 3, Seahawks 29: Grades

SEATTLE – Here are my grades for the 49ers’ 29-3 loss to the Seahawks.

KAEPERNICK: F. Four turnovers. The worst performance of his NFL career, although to be fair he was his only running game and his receivers weren’t getting open. Still, Kaepernick never has led a touchdown drive against the Seahawks’ starting defense.

WIDE RECEIVERS: F. One catch for seven yards. That was Anquan Boldin’s stat line. The Seahawks canceled him easily. Richard Sherman shadowed him in the first half, but other cornerbacks shut down Boldin in the second half. Kyle Williams caught four passes but basically was a non-factor.

RUNNING BACKS: F. Frank Gore was terrible. He gained16 yards on nine rushes. It seems like he’s entering the twilight of his career and has lost his legs. Kendall Hunter lost seven yards on his one run. The 49ers’ best runner currently is Kaepernick.

TIGHT ENDS: F. Vernon Davis caught just three passes for 20 yards before he left the game with a hamstring injury. Vance McDonald had one catch for 19 yards – he ran over Richard Sherman on the play. But McDonald later was flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty in the second half.

OFFENSIVE LINE: F. They gave up three sacks and got dominated in the run game. On Seattle’s turf, the Seahawks’ defensive linemen are too quick for the 49ers’ offensive linemen. The Seahawks were slipping off blocks all night.

DEFENSIVE LINE: F. Aldon Smith dominated the Seahawks’ backup left tackle, but he also was flagged 15 yards for hitting Wilson in the face and a few plays later the Seahawks scored a touchdown. This group, especially the Nickel front, could not stop the run. The Seahawks killed the 49ers’ with runs out of three and four-wide receiver shotgun formations.

LINEBACKERS: F. NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis combined for 19 tackles, but those tackles didn’t amount to much considering how well the Seahawks ran the ball. Ahmad Brooks was flagged for facemask penalty and a few plays later the Seahawks scored a touchdown.

SECONDARY: F. Donte Whitner gave up a 51-yard catch to Doug Baldwin. Nnamdi Asomugha was flagged for a pass interference penalty on a deep pass and he missed a couple of tackles. Eric Reid sustained a concussion.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F. Perrish Cox fumbled a kickoff.

COACHING: F. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman over-thought the game plan. They did not rely on the talent of their players. The offense had no continuity or cohesiveness. Where were the power runs off tackle? Where were the basics?

And it’s not a surprise the team came out tight and completely lost its composure in the second half when the Seahawks went up by two scores – 12 penalties for 121 yards. The team mirrors Harbaugh’s personality. He talked too much during the week about Clay Matthews and the Packers. His focus should have been on this game.

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