Texans vs. 49ers: 5 Biggest Takeaways for San Francisco

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Aug 14, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) attempts a pass over the reach of Houston Texans cornerback Kareem Johnson (25) in the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

There is room for improvement for Blaine Gabbert

As mentioned earlier, Gabbert just completed just 40 percent of his passes. He started poorly, missing easy throws to Hyde and throwing low to other receivers.

Gabbert did use his legs fairly well, scrambling to avoid sacks and he managed to gain a couple of first downs in the process.

He has been splitting first-team reps with Kaepernick in training camp. He was up-and-down in camp, and he kept this form last night. Whether it was beginning of season nerves or not, Gabbert needs to take big strides to hold onto the job. He had an opportunity to distance himself from Kap in the QB race but he let it slip through his fingers.

Here is a quick summary of Gabbert’s night, per Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk:

"On his first series, he missed a pair of check-down passes badly and had a screen pass dropped, and those are the ones he reliably connected on in Jacksonville. Later, he threw a hot-read pass at a receiver’s feet and missed a screen pass. He did scramble for a first down later in the quarter, and found tight end Vance McDonald for a 43-yard touchdown."

Gabbert will be better off for the run. He needs to improve quickly though – when he faces the Denver Broncos defense this weekend, he will need to perform better than he did last night.

Next: Mike Davis ran hard - and well