49ers vs. Lions: Previewing Week 16 for San Francisco
By Peter Panacy
December 20, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) passes the football against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterback Comparison
Quarterback Blaine Gabbert wasn’t assisted by three interceptions last week against the Bengals — two of which came off bobbled would-be receptions from tight end Vance McDonald.
Gabbert now has seven touchdowns against six picks and boasts a passer-rating of 82.8.
Some of the hype that surrounded him shortly after taking over for former starter Colin Kaepernick seems to have faded away, although it’s fully plausible San Francisco’s play-calling hasn’t exactly put him into a position to succeed.
His direct competition, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, seems to be trending in the exact opposite direction. Just take a look at these statistics, courtesy of Evan Silva of Rotoworld.com:
Matthew Stafford has a 68.2% completion rate & 14:2 TD:INT ratio since #Lions Week 9 bye. DET is 4-2, with both losses by 7 points or less.
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) December 22, 2015
On another interesting note, neither the Lions or the 49ers seem to trust either quarterback to throw deep routes, according to Pro Football Focus — surprising when factoring in wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Torrey Smith.
Lowest 5 QBs in average depth of tgt:
— PFF (@PFF) December 22, 2015
Philip Rivers: 7.6
Blaine Gabbert: 7.5
Teddy Bridgewater:7.4
Matthew Stafford: 6.8
Alex D. Smith:6.5
With little doubt, the Lions have the far superior passing game on the season. And both have endured their sack woes. Stafford has taken 38, while Gabbert has been sacked 21 times over six games.
Next: 49ers Injury News