Bills run wild vs Depleted 49er Defense

Week 6 - Heading into Buffalo to take on the (3-2) Bills in Week 6, the 49ers were hoping a shake up at the Quarterback position would help them reach the win column for the first time since Week 1. And while Colin Kaepernick did provide a jolt and show flashes at times on offense, the lackluster defense would once again fail to contain the opposition as Buffalo's LeSean McCoy ran amok against his former head coach in Philadelphia. 49ers head coach Chip Kelly knows McCoy very well as their distaste for one another was well publicized while with the Eagles, but Kelly was left helpless on the sideline as he watched McCoy shred the 49ers depleted secondary to the tune of three rushing touchdowns on the afternoon to tie a career-high.

Entering the game with the worst passing offense in the league, Buffalo didn't need to do much through the air as they utilized their rushing attack that couldn't be stopped, eclipsing over 300 yards on the ground in total. To put the disastrous performance into perspective, the 312 rushing yards allowed by San Francisco would be their most since 1958. But before the Bills began their scoring frenzy in the second half, it was the 49ers who struck first and provided most of the big plays in the first half. On Buffalo's first offensive possession, we finally saw our first true highlight of former Oregon Duck teammates Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner who combined for a forced and recovered fumble as Armstead provided the hit on Bills QB Tyrod Taylor and Buckner recovered. It would be the first of three forced fumbles by the 49ers defense, two of which were recovered. But unfortunately, the offense was unable to do much with them, with only a field goal to show for as Phil Dawson gave his team an early 3-0 lead. The Bills would answer with their first of six touchdowns on the afternoon as McCoy struck paydirt to take a 7-3 lead in the first.

Making his first start of the season and throwing his first pass in a meaningful game in over a year, Colin Kaepernick showed signs of rust but was able to dust off the cobwebs at times, connecting for a 53-yard touchdown to a wide-open Torrey Smith to start off the second quarter. Though he was unable to connect with Smith in stride and slightly underthrew him, Smith stopped for the grab before breaking away for the easy score which put San Francisco back on top at 10-7. It would be the last lead of the afternoon that they would enjoy as another pair of Phil Dawson field goals was all they would show for the rest of the way. With Buffalo hanging on to a 16-13 lead at the half, both teams would struggle to get anything going early on in the third quarter before the Bills stringed together four consecutive touchdown scoring drives to blow the game open. With over 100 yards rushing in the first half alone, McCoy finished the game with 140 yards on the ground to go with his trio of touchdowns after shaking off an apparent knee injury late in the first half which sidelined him for Buffalo's following drive. He would appear to be just fine as the Bills ran away with a 45-16 victory to claim their first four game winning-streak since opening the 2008 season 4-0. As for the Niners, they would drop their fifth consecutive game, their first such streak in six years.

Kaepernick and Taylor finished with nearly identical stat lines with Kaepernick holding a slight edge with 187 yards thru the air and another 66 on the ground compared to Taylor's 179 and 68. But with Taylor completing three more passes than Kaepernick on four fewer tries, it was obvious which quarterback has been starting all season and which one has been sidelined. But with this game to build on, Kaepernick should see his comfort level and rhythm rise going forward. Another positive to take from the beating was receiver Torrey Smith getting involved in the offense once again as he was merely forgotten about with Gabbert under center. Meanwhile, the exact opposite could be said for Jeremy Kerley who only caught two passes for 12 yards on Sunday. This after having hauled in over 85-yards and a touchdown in each of his last two games with Gabbert as the QB. If Kaep can get all parties involved, we could see the Niners passing game take a huge leap forward sooner than later. 

Week 7 Preview - With running back Carlos Hyde ruled out for Week 7 with a shoulder injury, the (1-5) 49ers will be shorthanded on offense when they try to put an end to their 5-game skid as they return home to host the (2-3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Another pair of play makers that might not join the 49ers on Sunday and were limited in practice are receiver Torrey Smith (back) and standout rookie cornerback Rashard Robinson (concussion). Needing as much help as they can get, Chip Kelly's 49ers will be facing a well rested Bucs team that is coming off a BYE and last played on Monday Night Football on October 10 as they defeated the struggling Carolina Panthers. Getting their first glimpse of last year's first overall pick and reigning NFL Rookie of the Year Jameis Winston, the 49ers will hope to bounce back from another disappointing performance on defense to head into their Week 8 BYE on a positive note with a win.


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