Blaine Gabbert gets his first chance to resurrect his career Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.
The former No. 1 pick of the Jaguars will start for the 49ers against the Atlanta Falcons (1:05 p.m. kickoff) for the first time since beging acquired for a sixth-round pick before the 2014 season.
His career – once promising – has been in tatters for a long time, and few are giving him much of a shot to lead the 2-6 49ers to an upset victory over the 6-2 Falcons.
This will be Gabbert’s first NFL start since week 5 of the 2013 season for the Jags. He’s lost his past 10 consecutive NFL starts and, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, his total QBR (ESPN’s quarterback rating formula) of 22.6 since his rookie season of 2011 is the lowest among all QBs with at least 500 snaps.
Oddsmakers certainly don’t believe Gabbert can show enough to lift a slumping 49ers team that had to sign a pair of running backs this week to shore up its injury-depleted backfield, traded away veteran tight end Vernon Davis and has the worst offense in the NFL. They’ve made the Falcons 4½-point favorites.
The Falcons, too, are dangerous offensively with quarterback Matt Ryan able to get the ball to the NFL’s No. 1 running back, Devonta Freeman, and top wide receiver, Julio Jones.
Though Atlanta has dropped two of its past three games after starting the season 5-0, one national writer this week labeled this a “get-well game” for the Falcons.
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Certainly, the Falcons defense will put the pressure on Gabbert. He’s rusty and been thrown into a tough situation behind a shaky offensive line, and often struggled against heavy pressure in Jacksonville. He’s prone to making mistakes (he has 24 interceptions vs. 23 TD passes) and been sacked 74 times in 29 games.
Yet this week, 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst said Gabbert has been much more impressive in practices this season than last, and points to a terrific preseason showing (23-of-28 passing for 203 yards with no interceptions) as a glimpse of what he may be able to do Sunday.
Chryst even compared him this week to former 49ers starting quarterback Alex Smith, who struggled for several seasons before finally finding success.
“Alex came here, was very young and played, had to slug out a lot of tough situations,” Chryst told reporters. “We felt like Blaine had all this talent and, as a young player, maybe a change of scenery would be good for him. He’s really applied himself well in the classroom. He’s engaged and active. He’s really a bright guy.”
But Chryst was careful not to put all the emphasis on Gabbert for this Sunday. He says the 49ers need to run the ball well as goal No. 1. San Francisco also will have to keep the Falcons’ offense in check.
But most eyes Sunday will be on Gabbert, to see if he can show the talent that made him a first-round draft pick and an NFL starter at age 21.
Gabbert is eager. He says he’s a much more mature player now. After a good week of practice, he’s ready to start again and knows what he has to do.
“Stick to the same way you prepare, week in and week out,” he said. “Still get here at the same time. Still do the right things on the field. Just go out there and have fun. Throw the ball around and let your guys make plays.”
