49ers @ Steelers live blog

PITTSBURGH — This is the live blog for the 49ers’ Week 2 road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I will update this frequently with information and analysis from the press box.

8:32 The 49ers’ inactives are WR Bruce Ellington, RB Reggie Bush, CB Shareece Wright, OG Brandon Thomas, NT Mike Purcell, OC Nick Easton and OLB Corey Lemonier.

8:34 The Steelers’ inactives are QB Landry Jones, WR Sammie Coates, CB Cortez Allen, C/G Chris Hubbard, TE Jesse James, DE L.T. Walton and DE Caushaud Lyons.

8:52 Reggie Bush is a professional rehabber.

9:10 Ben Roethlisberger had a sprained ankle the last time he played the 49ers.

10:00 The 49ers win the toss and defer.

10:01 Touchback.

10:03 The last time Todd Haley faced the 49ers (2010), his offense scored 31 points.

10:07 On third-and-10, Roethlisberger completes a 28-yard pass down the left sideline to Antonio Brown, who burned Kenneth Acker. The 49ers are challenging the play.

10:09 The refs uphold their ruling.

10:13 The Steelers punt from midfield after their third penalty of the opening drive. Terrible. Hayne makes a fair catch at the Niners’ 15.

10:14 The Niners completely shut down Pittsburgh’s running game on that drive.

10:21 On third-and-7 from the Niners’ 41, Colin Kaepernick completes a pass over the middle to Anquan Boldin, who gets stripped by William Gay. The Steelers recover, but officials rule the pass incomplete. Pittsburgh is challenging the play.

10:23 The refs confirm their ruling of an incomplete pass. Looked like a fumble to me.

10:25 On the previous play, Colin Kaepernick got sacked by Stephon Tuitt, who beat right guard Jordan Devey.

10:26 On third-and-five, Darrius Heyward-Bey beats Dontae Johnson for a 41-yard catch.

10:30 On second-and-goal from the 2, tight end Heath Miller beats Antoine Bethea and Jimmie Ward for a touchdown.

10:31 Brown beats Acker for the two-point conversion. Acker slipped and fell on the grass. 8-0 Steelers.

10:32 Bad pass rush and pass coverage on that drive. NaVorro Bowman was flagged for defensive holding in the red zone. He’s shaky in coverage.

10:33 DeAndrew White returns the kickoff to the 49ers’ 13.

10:34 The Steelers used a hurry-up offense on their second drive. The Niners were not prepared.

10:40 Kaepernick completes an 11-yard pass to Carlos Hyde over the middle as the first quarter ends. First-and-10 from the Steelers’ 33.

10:42 Hyde missed two plays with an injured leg. He’s back.

10:48 The 49ers were facing first-and-goal from the 10. Then Erik Pears was flagged for a false start. Then Torrey Smith lost three yards on a screen pass. Then Carlos Hyde lost four yards on another screen. Third-and-27, and the Niners use their second timeout of the first half.

10:51 On third-and-goal, Kaepernick gets sacked by Cameron Heyward, who beats Alex Boone. Phil Dawson makes a 47-yard field goal, and the score is 8-3 Steelers.

10:59 On third-and-6 from the Steelers’ 39, Roethlisberger throws deep to Brown, who beats Acker and Reid for a 59-yard catch. DeAngelo Williams runs into the end zone from two yards out on the next play.

11:01 Ahmad Brooks is flagged for a neutral zone infraction on the extra point. So the Steelers choose to go for the two-point conversion from the one, and Roethlisberger completes a pass to a wide open Heath Miller. 16-3 Steelers.

11:06 Kaepernick gets sacked for a 17-yard loss on third-and-7, and the Niners go three-and-out. The Niners’ drop-back passing game is broken.

11:07 Brown returns the punt 16 yards to the 49ers’ 35. Vance McDonald is injured on the play.

11:09 First play, Roethlisberger hits Heyward-Bey deep for a 35-yard touchdown down the right seam. The Niners’ defense was rotating toward Brown on the left.

11:10 Extra point no good. 22-3 Steelers. Is this game already over?

11:14 Hyde fumbles on first-and-10 from the Niners’ 45, and the Steelers recover at the Niners’ 42. Hyde hasn’t seemed right since he took that big hit.

11:16 McDonald has a knee injury and is questionable.

11:18 The Steelers will face second-and-goal from the 2 after the two-minute warning.

11:21 Williams runs up the middle untouched for a touchdown. The Niners seem totally demoralized.

11:21 Josh Scobee makes the extra point. 29-3 Steelers.

11:26 Kaepernick stares down Vernon Davis on third-and-5 and the pass gets broken up. Anquan Boldin was wide open downfield. Kaepernick never looked at him.

11:27 Roethlisberger kneels down. Halftime.

11:47 Kaepernick scrambled for two yards on third-and-24, and the Niners punt.  Kaepernick got sacked on second down. He has been sacked four times already.

11:51 Steelers go three-and-out for the first time today.

11:51 Jarryd Hayne trips and gains just 7 yards on the punt return.

11:54 Kaepernick keeps the ball on a read option and fumbles. The Niners recover. Gain of six.

12:06 Carlos Hyde went to the locker room.

12:08 Bruce Miller drops a touchdown catch on fourth-and-goal from the 1, and the Niners turn it over on downs. Tomsula is challenging.

12:09 Hyde is being evaluated for a head injury. His return is questionable.

12:10 The refs confirm their ruling. Miller did not maintain control of the ball. Steelers’ ball at their 1. An 18-play drive that nets no points.

12:13 Reid breaks up a deep pass to Brown on third-and-6. Great play. Brown had Acker beat yet again.

12:13 DeAndrew White returns the punt four yards.

12:16 Vernon Davis runs downfield completely uncovered and, after three or four seconds, Kaepernick actually spots him, and hits him for a gain of 43. First-and-10 from the Steelers’ 26 when the fourth quarter begins.

12:21 Blake Bell left the game with what seemed like a back injury.

12:23 Kaepernick is flagged for delay of game on third-and-goal from the 6. He had no clue the clock was running down.

12:24 Kaepernick sacked for a three-yard loss on third-and-goal.

12:24 Kaepernick throws a 14-yard touchdown pass to Boldin. Comeback time! The officials are reviewing the play to see if Boldin got both feet in bounds.

12:27 The touchdown is confirmed. Huge momentum shift. Can Pittsburgh respond???

12: 27 Phil Dawson makes the extra point. 29-10 Steelers with 13:16 left.

12:34 On third-and-2, Roethlisberger completes a 48-yard pass to Markus Wheaton. Michael Wilhoite was covering him. Great coverage concept by the Mangenius.

12:37 Williams scores another touchdown, this one from one yard out. Extra point good. 36-10 Steelers.

12:40 Kaepernick completes a pass over the middle to Torrey Smith, who breaks a tackle and runs for a 75-yard touchdown. Gritty effort. The Niners are going for two.

12:41 Kaepernick completes a fade pass to Torrey Smith. Two-point conversion good. 36-18 with 9:43 left.

12:44 On third-and-four from the 27, Brooks jumps offside and gives the Steelers a free play. So Roethlisberger throws deep for Brown — why not? He beats Brock for a 56-yard catch.

12:46 Brown beats Acker for a seven-yard touchdown catch two plays later. Two minutes, 80 yards. 43-18 Steelers.

12: 48 This is new territory for the 49ers. They never gave up more than 42 points under Jim Harbaugh and Vic Fangio.

12:59 Kaepernick scrambles three yards for the touchdown. The play is being reviewed. Kaepernick’s knees seem to be down before the ball crosses the plain.

1:01 The refs reverse their call. First-and-10 at the 1 for the Steelers. Michael Vick is their quarterback.

This article has 347 Comments

  1. Last time these two teams played was in 2011 at the Stick, Niners win 20 – 3. If I remember right the Niners were in Bens face all game.

      1. The Smith Brothers dominated that game. Roethlisberger left the game with a sprained everything. The national (eastern) press only noticed the power failure.

      2. One of my 23 keys to victory is successfully pressuring with Roethlisberger with only four pass rushers. They can be any variety of four mixing and matching zone blitzes.

        In the preseason Harold got a wicked sack off a TE stun with Dial. I’m expecting a little less blitzing, but a little more creative pressures from the down line.

  2. Radio says 10 rookies will suit up. Add “red shirts” Reaser and Acker equals alot of new blood. I’m more excited than worried.

  3. Is today DeAndrew White’s day? Ellington would have been a key part of the Game Plan today; Smith, Davis, and White will need to drag defenders North all day. The focus will definitely be on them. I hope.

    Should open up the running game and prevent stacking the line…

  4. Also when ever Ben came over to the edge to the playing field the cheerleaders quickly moved to a different area. (just kidding – but it would have been great)

  5. My 3 keys to victory…

    1. Offense – simply continue with good line play. Everything else will fall into place. Meaning Hyde is on a mission and CK is enough of a vet to build India offseason work and not throw game away.

    2. Defense – safety play. Weaton and Brown can fly. Mangini likes to blitz. Pitt must establish run. How will our safeties be used and can they make the plays

    3. Special teams – just improve from last week. Lol

    Go Niners

      1. True dat. You know what I say about that…2 things, 1. First game rust Blau Blau. 2. All this Jim Tomsula craze, we’ll head coaches need to ensure their team plays to potential and not have mental errors. So time to take next step coach

  6. Nothing like the anticipation of a dominate run game, the kind that breaks the will of the opponent.

  7. Ready to continue to play hard. Win or lose. No quit, hustle hard, execute and “do your job”

    1. -1 nobody was open,people want a pocket passers-by and that’s what you get,he has looked good on some pocket passing today.

  8. The difference in this game so far is down 4 pass rush. The Steelers have one. The 49ers don’t.

  9. Pitt’s pace is too much for the defense. Hope Kaep has the sense and skill to move the chains to give the defense a blow we cant beat this team in a shoot out we don’t have the horses.

  10. Carlos seems to think screen passes are his chance to audition for dancing with the stars. Just catch it and turn up field please.

  11. The sobering effects of week 2 in the NFL when teams have a week of tape to prepare for you.

    1. Or…I don’t know…..long trip after a short week?

      But hey, that’s fine.
      Doubt the team first. It’s the usual move.

  12. Crap. We put them at 3rd and medium all the time.
    But on 3rd down Ben has all the time of the world and the secondary seems lost.
    Antonio Brown is open most of the time.

    1. How many years do you have to play to earn to throw the ball away instead of taking 60 sacks a season? No pocket awareness!

      1. When you are in the pocket you can not just throw the ball away to avoid a sack. It has to be at a receiver unless you get a good look you could risk and interception. He threw the ball away a number of times and those were out of bound. Jordan23 you know sh!T

        1. Will talk is the insult necessary. People here know that I’ve always supported Kap but I do not support bonehead play from any quarterback. Bottom line is, Kap took just as many sacks last year by doing the same dumb crap. I know what enables the qb to throw the ball away legally. He certainly had those opportunities available to him most times and continues to take stupid sacks. That’s a fact and I think you know it as well.

  13. This looks like the team we all predicted. The voice of the few sure cried loud week 1. It’s a long season.

    1. No the Vikes o and d line suck.

      The short week hurt I suppose as well but We need to make big on offense
      to keep up. This D is not that good. Where are our playmakers.

      Be nice for a defense turnover and special teams score :)

      1. Against the Vikings the used 3 TE sets to help out the O-line. You can not always do that. They could not get a pass rush on Roth and if you can not pressure him with the WR he has he will kill you. He had all the time in the world.

  14. really hits?? … you guys actually thought we had a chance?. I love how the blind fanatics were in denial …..

  15. Is this game already over?
    ——————–
    Don’t you believe in the QB’s ability to motivate this team and rally from behind?

      1. Look at our two posts and tell me who has the bs crap attitude. I’m supporting my QB so go eat a big bag of d icks.

  16. Great game for the coaching staff to try some half time adjustments. This game isn’t lost till the end.

  17. Hyde fumbles on first-and-10 from the Niners’ 45, and the Steelers recover at the Niners’ 42. Hyde hasn’t seemed right since he took that big hit.
    —————-
    His hurt leg made him fumble?

  18. 49ers are garbage. It looks like Kaepernick is hamstringing this offense. He needs to start throwing the ball downfield. Will he? No chance.

    49ers are no longer a playoff team.

      1. Kaepernick stares down Vernon Davis on third-and-5 and the pass gets broken up. Anquan Boldin was wide open downfield. Kaepernick never looked at him.

  19. This:

    “aepernick stares down Vernon Davis on third-and-5 and the pass gets broken up. Anquan Boldin was wide open downfield. Kaepernick never looked at him.”

  20. When was the last time a team played LATE Monday night game, flew east, and played an EARLY Sunday game against a team that had played the previous Thursday? I’ll bet never. Anyone have the record of this? This game doesn’t count.

    1. audick,
      Good points, but this team is getting beat in all aspects of the game right now. One more half to go, let’s see what we’re made of.

  21. I knew that today was going to be the big test, especially in Pitt. I’m not counting us out with one more half left just yet although all aspects of the game are pointing to an ugly blow-out loss.

    What I want to see in the 2nd half is a team that is making adjustments and come out fighting with heart. Did I say heart? Yes, HEART!
    If we lose, we need to go down fighting.
    Who knows, this could be our 49ers vs Saints big comeback win of 30 years ago that ushered a 20+ yr great run by the 49ers!
    I’m not anywhere, let’s go 49ers – let’s see what you’re made of…

    1. Online, story of last week, first half and the rest of the season. I did not expect last week or this week! I want good football! Let’s go have a good second half!

  22. oy vey looks like i picked a good week to not make it down to the sports bar. this team is going to be tested this year. hope they play hard in the 2nd half

  23. I see the ‘I told you so’ crowd are feeling pretty impressed with themselves right now.

    The 49ers D is being completely over-matched. Can’t generate enough pressure and the DBs are being broken down too easily. The Steelers are demonstrating what happens when Mangini’s D fails to get to the QB.

    On offense, Kaep deserves some flack, but the real issue is the OL. Getting beat too often.

    Basically the 49ers two weakest areas heading into the season – OL and pass rush – are being accentuated.

    1. This is all because of the NFL schedule. Having to play late Monday night and then travel to the East coast, not too manny teams with so many rookies could over come that situation.
      No excuse? Feeling sorry for my team? ABSOLUTELY!

      1. The short week certainly doesn’t help. There are just way too many breakdowns in the secondary and on the OL, which the short week can impact on.

    2. There are opportunities to make play even with the line playing poorly. Kaep and Geep will get this figured out. If they can just connect on a couple of those missed chances the game can change quickly. A stronger showing from the offense will take some pressure off the defense which is clearly on it’s heels at the moment. Give them a little more time on the sidelines before heading out and we’ll see some better play there as well.

      1. I don’t know. The weakness of the Steelers D is completely being hidden by the inability of the OL to keep the rush from getting to Kaep. Without better OL play the 49ers offense is unlikely to do much today.

        1. They seem to have sniffed out the screen plays which would have helped slow down the pass rush if more successful. Where’s the rotation in backs. If Hyde is being hampered why aren’t we seeing anyone else in there. Got to find a way to get some success with either the WR or HB screens, I’d like to see Kaep drop back a bit more and pull the defense farther away from the HB before dumping it off and I think just a bit quicker release to the outside will help make those WR screens earn more yards.

          As you know there are ways to crutch a bad line, the team just needs to execute a little cleaner in other areas to compensate.

    3. No question about it scooter.
      Oline and Pass Rush are real bad today and that was our weaknesses all along.

      But I’m really disapointed with the secondary today. Even with all the time Ben is having, the Wrs are getting open downfield at will.

  24. One consolation. Rams look just as bad today. Better tell Tomd not to punch their Super Bowl ticket just yet.

  25. They should throw their game plan out the window. Toss the rock down field. Boldin needs to have a seat his age is slowing him down and I question his grip strength. Put in White. I say, side stepping the Kool Aide stand, air it out the score dictates a frantic pace while leveraging the high priced skills of a running Kaepernick and Torrey Smith’s ability to fly the seam. Offensively, let’s see what we got in the tank! The blitz is not working stay in the base defense with your best 11 players. Good time to assess game day talent.

  26. I don’t think we are playing Teddy Bridgewatter today.

    I did not think we would win today, but expected a closer game. It will be instructive to see how our new coach reacts when the wheels come off. I’m also interested in seeing how this staff makes half time adjustments.

  27. Everyone needs to stop making excuses for Kaepernick. At 16-3 it was obvious the Niners needed to throw the ball, and they came out running. Sure, say that’s on the coaches, but Kaep needs to step up and demand the ball be in his hand, and then he needs to throw the ball down the damn field.

    And now it’s happening again.

  28. Got all these weapons and we did nothing with the Oline. Had money,Mathews and Long were available but we did nothing.

  29. Toss this game out the window. NFL screwed us. Pittsburgh had 10 days off, we had 5 and had to travel across country for morning game. C’mon.

  30. On the second down sack either Staley didn’t know the snap count or couldn’t hear Kaepernick(or see the ball) because he didn’t even flinch when the ball was hiked.

  31. it is the secound game of the season…uneven play is the norm in the NFL.
    Relax.
    Lets have this discussion after the 4th week.

  32. Football is often very similar to strength training. At times the load is so great you get buried under the burden, but folks you learn from it and improve. I expect the 49ers to keep battling and learning from the experience. They will be better for it as an organization. It is all about mental toughness and fighting through it. No one loses if you do not give up.

  33. 49ers finally getting some decent protection on this drive, and Kaep has looked alright. Would look even better if Davis and Boldin didn’t let easy receptions go down.

    Davis appears to have replaced Hayne as the #2 RB.

    1. Hyde’s injury just had a huge impact. He’s clearly the better back for pounding it in and not having him there likely had just as much of an effect on us not scoring as Millers drop just did.

  34. Not sure why they are ramming Davis in the teeth of the defense right there. This has to be Hyde territory.

  35. Not sure why they are ramming Davis in the teeth of the defense right there. This has to be Hyde territory.
    Oh, Hyde to the locker room.

  36. Seb where are you? Ready to admit that Davis needed to be on the roster and geez Bruce hold on to the ball.

  37. Anyone blames Kaepernick for this debacle is a clown. Dude has been throwing darts under pressure, with zero running game.

    1. He’s now led three drives that should have ended in TDs (incl. 2 that did) + a FG drive. It all comes down to being given time in the pocket. The second half he’s had time, and he’s looked good.

      1. Yep. Are D is trash today. They looked slow and tired all day. I don’t care what these coaches say, NFL screwed us with this game

        1. Daniners,
          So far the Kap, “krappers” haven’t come out yet, but the day is still young (lol).

          Today’s loss was a total team effort, but there are some things that could be corrected here.
          1. better o-line play (still looking for cohesiveness).
          2. better return game play (D.White and Hayne didn’t have time to get good head-starts with their returns).
          3. Secondary got completely punk’ed today, especially on 3rd downs (Acker and Brock were very soft).
          4. No pass rush (no QB pressure throughout the game made Rothlisberger’ day a walk in the park).
          5. Hyde out for most of the 2nd half gave the Pitt defense more leverage.
          6.

          Positives:
          1. team never quit when they were down (I’m very happy about that).
          2. o-line played better in the 2nd half.
          3. ck never lost his mental game focus (last year he was mouthing with the opponent in these type of games).
          4. ck had a second straight game in which he showed good mechanics even in the face of pressure.
          5. A healthy Hyde is a difference maker if he comes back next week.
          Question: was it Allen who came in low at Hyde’ knees at the end of the play? Allen was guilty of coming in with an elbow to Bell’ back; complete cheap shot.

          No time to dwell on this game, need to quickly move on and prep for a tough and much improved Arizona team.

          1. They played soft. That’s not something they did the past 3 years. Hopefully not a sign of things to come…

    2. These haters look for every example to promote their agenda. They wait and watch and magnify any play that might have had a better option. You can do that with any QB during any game and come up with something. That just shows them for the haters that they are.

  38. Reid still ball’n out there!
    Seen too many players with the ball going backwards and losing negative yards.
    Will VD ever use all that muscle to try and run over anyone? I’ve seen little J.Edelman run with more determination and physicality.

    1. Except for that one play where he under estimated Browns speed, Reid has played an excellent game. The best he has played in a while.

  39. Nice catch VD, HOWEVER, cutting back into the filed of play trying to out run and juke defenders when your team is down three or four touchdowns would have been a bit more appropriate.

  40. Our defense is highly questionable. It looked like Reid on the big play. He never realized his LB was on a receiver. We can’t blitz if we can’t go man coverage. Good QB’s will eat us Alive.

  41. Regardless of the standard performance by the passing game and unfortunately bad play from the offensive line it would still be a game if the defense wasn’t getting spanked like a redheaded stepchild.

  42. Nice to hear Moose Johnson and I talking the same language. The 49ers are on the ropes take some chances what the heck we need the excitement. Use all that new found speed and that mile long arm. Sorry defense you are on your own.

  43. You can’t blame this game on the qb today.
    Left some points on the field. This game should be closer.

  44. Nice effort and run from Smith followed by a long overdue fade pass connection in the end zone. Looking good out there. Surprising how execution elsewhere can make up for a bad o-line.

  45. This has to be some kind of record for the how much yardage the defense has given up on 3rd down – arrrrgh!

  46. For the guys who re watch the game, can you please let me know if we are running a Cover 2 Zone. Or are we running Zone blitzes? Too many open spaces.

  47. With the defense looking for the Smith connection it would be a good time to try and find Davis with single coverage.

    1. The same Fangio who’s defense is getting crushed today after giving up 31 points last week as well?

      1. CFC: Where do I begin you wipe out your entire coachinsg staff. You change your offense to work around a struggling QB, you lose about 20 players to retirement, and you expect to have the same team.

        24 NFL teams are struggling with their Oline — it’s an ongoing problem every year if you are not high in the draft picks you pick the best athletes you can find and hope you can pull it all together. Centers usually get a second contract & players coming out of the spread offenses aren’t ready for the NFL. I wasn’t watching the oline that carefull, except for the obvious sacks.

        What let you down today was your defense and I was surprised by that. It will be interesting to see what adjustments they make.

        1. Why don’t you worry about your team? The team that has made head scratching play calls in crucial moments. And the team that won’t sign the key guy to their team and defense.
          Instead you are in a 49ers blog talking to people who don’t care what a Seahawks annoying needler has to say. GTF outta here troll!

        2. They didn’t lose 20 players to retirement and even if they did unless they all came from the defense it still doesn’t give them an excuse for giving up an average of 40 points in two games. All coaches in the NFL deal with changes of players and schemes the difference is that the good ones can still find success with the new players and plays.

          You’re second paragraph is completely scattered.

          Yes, we’re all pretty aware that the defense let us down today thanks for repeating my summation.

      2. Not a fair comment. Fangio inherited the worst, if not one of the worst D’s in Chicago. Give him time, he is a quality coach..

        1. I’d agree to say the jury is still out on that last part. He might be a great coach or he might be just a regular one that benefited from having great players on his team. How many DC’s get Patrick Willis, Navarro Bowman and Justin Smith on their team. Pepper in Aldon Smith’s first couple of seasons and again it’s fair to wait and see if Fangio can in fact turn that defense around.

  48. I think there is a lot to clean up but given the circumstances of a short week,the Steelers having a long week,the traveling and not to mention Brown is on a different planet,he just opens it up for their offense. I think once again we didn’t attack early and ran to much when down hopefully we realize that

    1. Strange they had Hayne replace Hyde when he first went down with injury, then went Davis after that. Didn’t see anything from either player to justify the switch.

      1. Stranger that after going to Davis they never went back to Hayne. The run game was completely nullified. My guess would be that that Steeler’s game plan was to force Kaepernick to win the game and frankly he did with one of his best performances to date. The problem is that this performance also fell on the same day that the defense decided to play as bad as it possibly could. Sure a few more scores would have probably replaced some of the Steeler’s points but with the gashes that they were carving out of the secondary it’s hard to imagine any offense overcoming an opposing team that can pretty much score at will.

        1. The Steelers basically put up points at will. It would have taken a flawless offensive performance to keep this one close the way the D played.

          1. The tape will have to reveal if the offensive line was actually playing better in the second half or it was other factors that contributed to the improved offensive production. Was it adjustments made or simply better execution of the original game plan, or both.

            Overall the play of the defense was the largest contributor to the loss followed by the atrocious offensive line and the injury to Hyde. The receiver drops clearly didn’t help but those happen and would have been mitigated if the other factors hadn’t been so severe.

      2. Not strange… Hayne is not an NFL running back (yet??). It is actually pretty sad our first back off the bench started playing football a few months ago.

        I want the guy to succeed but I want the Niners the succeed more. Today looked like a young newly coached team that was over matched. Pretty much what the analysis said during the week.

        We have to pull it together and strap up for next week and improve.

        1. But what I don’t get is why Hayne was first guy to come in, but then got replaced by Davis. He’s either up to it or he’s not. What did they see after two plays that made the coaching staff think Davis was the guy to put in rather than Hayne?

          1. Let’s just say the Hayne experiment is done. Like I said last week, no explosiveness to hit the hole, no quick burst in getting to the edge and not much contribution on special teams. Time to move on!

  49. Sebby, Ck, elite , Aes, Scooter, Ninermd, Grimey,

    I was correct in my 52-0 blowout loss by the 49ers. It just came a week late. And I also warned you about what would happen when the49ers faced areal QB

    1. Tommyboy,
      Try as you may, you can’t clean up last weeks mess.
      What’s next, waiting for the 49ers to actually lose a game 52-0 either this season or the next 10 seasons only to have you say, I called it?
      Dude, you’re even awful at trolling.

    2. Ummm I never called this game a win or a loss. I still have and had questions coming in to this game. And secondly 52-0???? Claiming that as you were right is as bad as your comments. Get real

  50. Kaep looked good today for the most part. O Line was terrible. Mike Davis, I’m not sold yet. Our WR dropped some crucial passes but held onto the ball later . Our D could not stop the pass or the run. If there is an are of focus, it’s defense.

  51. I am impressed with Kaepernick’s game stats and the coaching staff for making half time adjustments. I like the team’s composition the more I see of it. Clearly, watching game film is more than a trite term for this staff they absorb it and translate it to field play. Sky is the limit. Thanks 49ers.

  52. Not sure that would have mattered today if the offense had played perfectly. When the defense gives up such big plays consistently you just can’t expect to win.

  53. CK was stacking up stats at garbage time throwing into ‘prevent’ after the game was out of reach…playing not to lose…(his starting position) rather than playing to win the game…not protecting his receivers with catchable passes, and keeping his defense on the field too long in the first half….I thought I knew what the problem was…how can one person be soooooo wrong LOL

    1. So are the Giants. I’m not sure what’s worse, getting thumped or giving away games you’ve won. 2 weeks in a row.

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    Damon Bruce ‏@DamonBruce · 1h1 hour ago
    Some statistical padding by this offense in junk time (Kap had like 30 passing yards at half). Don’t be fooled, this was really bad today.

  55. Well, I need to go back and rewatch that debarcle to get a better idea of what exactly went wrong, but my thoughts after watching the game live are:

    – Lets start with the D. Our worst fears were realised on the D today. They were unable to generate pressure from the DL and OLBs. And even when they sent blitzes the Steelers OL picked them up pretty easily. It exposed the secondary, and they struggled mightily to contain the Steelers WRs. Some guys were just getting beat 1-on-1, other times there appeared to be miscommunication. Lots of things to clear up on the back-end.
    – Seb, you were dead wrong about Dupree. With the lack of pass rush generated by the 49ers, a guy like Dupree sure would be nice right about now. He was good against the pass and run from what I saw, and on his sack simply blew by Pears. He also had a good tackle on Kaep to prevent the TD at the end. 49ers are in desperate need of pass rushers that can win 1-on-1 matchups.
    – The offense struggled to get much going early in the game. They didn’t create many openings for Hyde, and they really struggled keeping the pass rush from Kaep. The OL appeared to be largely responsible, but the 49ers could have done a better job using quick hitting passes to slow up the rush a bit. They were a bit too predictable early on.
    – In the second half the Steelers played a little softer, and Kaep showed what he can do when given time. He did an excellent job in the second half going through his reads, getting the ball out to his receivers with what seemed to be pretty good ball location. One of the things they did well in the second half was make use of some quick hitting passes to get the offense moving.
    – Torrey Smith looked good. He puts DBs on their heels. He will likely surpass Boldin as the primary target by the end of the season.
    – Vernon was kept in check for the most part. I thought he’d have a bigger impact on the game. Not sure why.
    – Mike Davis appears to have surpassed Hayne in the RB depth chart. Not sure why. Davis didn’t do anything wrong that I saw, but he was pretty easily contained and went down pretty easily.
    – If Hayne wasn’t going to be used much at RB, I’m also not sure why he wasn’t back as the PR all game. A strange one. Will be interesting to see if they even keep him in uniform when Bush and Ellington are back.

    1. When they were forced to give up on the run game that was the end of Hayne for the day which possibly suggests that they see Mike Davis as being stronger in pass protection and/or running routes from the back field. They don’t seem to see Hayne as a part of the passing game yet or at least a part that they can rely on when they need to make up some points.

      They were using the quick passes in the first half just not connecting. I was seeing better execution in the passing game versus an adjustment towards doing something different then what they had been trying.

      Let’s judge Dupree when he isn’t running around 3rd string tackles in the likes of Pears or aging elite tackles that apparently don’t know the snap count like Staley. This is more meant as a comment towards the line then trying to take something away from Bud.

      1. Hmmm, maybe you are right about wanting Davis in there while chasing the game, but it would also suggest they see Davis as a better short yardage back too, as Davis was in there for the goal line plays.

        It wasn’t an issue of Kaep not connecting in the first half. His completion % was fine. They just had far too many negative plays. Penalties, runs/ passes for a loss, and sacks. They weren’t using the quick hitting passes as regularly as they did in the second half.

        With Dupree, I was referring to Seb’s comment that Dupree would show this week why 49ers fans should be glad they took Armstead. That most certainly wasn’t the case.

        1. I was comparing the 2, and you were saying that it did not matter if one does better than the other.
          Looks like Dupree is good, and showed it today on the field.
          Still like AA, but Dupree would have been a good pick, too.

  56. Mindi Bach ‏@MBachCSN 3h3 hours ago
    The 26 point deficit is the most the #49ers have trailed at the half since they were down 27-0 to Minnesota on Dec. 9, 2007
    20 retweets 9 favorites
    Reply Retweet 20 Favorite 9

  57. The only person who showed up today was Kaep. Miller dropped TD. Boldin drops and fumble. Davis well being Davis. Defense horrible being nice. O line embarrassing. Kaep played well today.

      1. Fan you are entering hating levels now. Kaepernick played well yesterday. Wether he threw for whatever yards in the 1st or 2nd half is totally irrelevant when the defense could not stop anything the Steelers did. Add the fact there was so many drops and failed attempts in the redzone by his supporting cast, that’s game is on the defense. Even the handoff/fumble to Hyde was not his fault.

  58. The team was sloppy on both sides of the ball. Dropped passes and fumbles aren’t going to win games at home let alone one the road after a short week. That being said there were some positives to take away. Even though it was garbage time, there were 14 points left at the end zone today and a bad fumble on a handoff. Those 3 plays going the other way, might have made it a little closer. This one can’t be blamed on Kap. He had no time to throw the ball and for the most part an absent run game after Hyde hurt his knee . When Kap had some time he made some nice passes.

  59. To all you doom-and-gloomers:
    1. The short week, travel to the East coast, and the early game time all pointed to an unlikely win.
    2. The Steelers are a solid team. Losing to them is not a disgrace.
    3. Kaep played well under the circumstances and, despite all his passing attempts, he threw NO interceptions. This bodes well for the future.

    1. George

      As seldom as I disagree with your posts, I have to take issue with this…Minnesota got their clock cleaned by us on the EXACT time frame as us, and they are winners today….I agree that the Steelers are a solid team…losing to them would be no disgrace
      Kaep did NOT play well under any circumstances…33 yards passing in the first half ? How many plays did we run in the first half ? ….How many for the Steelers ? How long was our Defense on the field, and how long were the Steelers D? By halftime we’re down 29-3…our D is gassed, and Rothlisberger looks like the second coming of Montana. CK’s rating was 106…? built on ‘garbage’ time when the Steelers were giving us everything under 7 yards which also equates to ‘splatter ball’ time for the safeties and LB’s who are giving our receivers an extra 3 yards cushion. CK is playing only for HIS stats not team wins,…he’s terrible. If we’re going to keep Gabbert on the roster, why don’t we play him for a regular season game and see what he’s worth ? If he’s worthless…cut him and shop other teams PS and start over. CK’s not the answer….

      1. Oregon,

        I’m trying to stick to the request you made about the way I address you, but when you post something like this, I seriously have to question your motives. This tells me you either won’t support Kap no matter what he does, or you didn’t watch the game. I’m not going to go drive by drive to show you how wrong you are, but Kap was the best player on the field for the Niners and it wasn’t close. Many factors played into the offense not scoring more points in the first half and none were attributed to Kap. You either need to watch the game or go through a play by play of what actually transpired out there because you obviously don’t have a clue what happened it seems.

        The defense gassed comment is hilarious. The Niners won time of possession almost 2-1 (something else you would know if you actually watched the game), they were not even remotely gassed. What they were was terrible, and couldn’t stop long passes to Brown and DHB. They were a mess in all phases yesterday.

        You really should be embarrassed by how off base this post actually is.

        1. Rocket

          I was, of course expecting your post…what sort of surprised me was the absences during the game and afterwards…You weren’t there, Razor eater, nope, Seb, uh uh,not a one of you…only CK=elite showed up for the defense. couldn’t stand the sight of blood ? Well in that you question my motives, I’ll only say that I am a long-time 49er fan….NOT necessarily a Colin Kaepernick fan. When they stink, I have to suck it up , but in that you have noticed my unhappiness with CK over the last two years, I don’t feel any compunction to cheer for him to go backwards from last year, and the year before, and the…….. you know what I mean. So much so, that I am now I am quizzing you…did YOU watch the game ? You didn’t even read my post before you began your rant against it / me.

          Embarrassed ? No, that would be my 49ers who hadn’t suffered that much of a halftime deficit in 30 years. And you weren’t there either…

          1. Oregon,

            I’m never here during a game or right after. Had nothing to do with the results. Go back and check previous game blogs and you will find no entries from me. I watch the games with other humans and save the online commentary for Monday.

            I don’t know what else to say in reply to this comment you posted. You seem confused, drunk or both. I have no idea what point you are trying to make here. I did watch the game and I did read your rant. Your original post was so off base I had no other recourse but to assume you didn’t watch the game, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t after reading your comments. Everything you said was wrong. Defense gassed? Nope. Kap didn’t play well and was responsible for the defense having to play too much? Notta. Not one factual point in your entire diatribe. Just the same old irrational Kap bashing whether he deserves it or not.

            If you are upset about the halftime deficit then focus on the reason for it: the defense and stop making up excuses for them that didn’t exist.

  60. tommyboy,
    Actually, I’m kinda enjoying you being the blog clown. Fit’s you perfectly, almost like a CK laser pass that hit Torrey in the numbers over the middle for a TD.
    Carrying over a 52-0 score from last week and trying to apply to todays game (was 52-0 today?) is really brilliant.

  61. To all you doom-and-gloomers:
    1. The short week, travel to the East coast, and the early game time all pointed to an unlikely win.
    2. The Steelers are a solid team. Losing to them is not a disgrace.
    3. Kaep played well under the circumstances and, despite all his passing attempts, he threw NO interceptions. This bodes well for the future.

    1. It took NFL teams one game to see what the new Niners had to offer. They’ve been found out: slow D, weak O Line, and third rate awful coaching.

      Go ahead and drink up the rest of the Kool-Aid George…

  62. Damon Bruce ‏@DamonBruce 3h3 hours ago
    Steelers got 8 in the box, the #49ers are being dared to throw, and won’t until it’s predictable on 3rd down. Bad things.

  63. I’m curious to see how a “players coach”, one who is loved by the players, reacts to this embarrassment. Will his “we are all buddies” shtick continue to work. Sometimes it is the hard-ass coaches who can get the most out of players. Bill Walsh was feared by his players. They really only came to love in retirement, after the Championships. I hope the best for Tomsula and the niners, but I have lots of doubts. Hope to be proven wrong.

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