49ers vs. Panthers: The Good, Bad and Ugly from San Francisco’s 46-27 Week 2 Loss

The San Francisco 49ers dropped their Week 2 contest 46-27 to the Carolina Panthers in what looks like a lopsided game on paper. But Niner Noise takes a look at the good, as well as the bad and ugly aspects from this road bout.

Indeed, the San Francisco 49ers didn’t enjoy their Week 2 contest on the road against the Carolina Panthers.

The 46-27 score in favor of the Panthers leads us to believe this was a lopsided affair. In many ways it was. But the Niners had their fair share of positives from the game as well.

While there are plenty of negative takeaways from this game, let’s try to take an all-encompassing look at what happened for San Francisco in what was, truly, a Herculean task.

For starters, the Niners trailed by only seven points with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

It was still a game at that point. And it’s hard to convince anyone this 49ers squad is built to win these types of games against a clearly superior opponent.

And yet the Niners still gave up more than 500 yards to Carolina’s offense. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s accuracy woes continued, and San Francisco couldn’t establish much of any rushing attack on the ground.

So let’s break it all down — the good, bad and ugly.

The Bad

Good news can wait. Bad news can’t.

At this point, it’s probably easier to accept the notion Gabbert is who he is. San Francisco’s starting quarterback went 17-of-36 for 243 yards with a couple of touchdown passes against two picks.

One of those interceptions, hauled in by Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, was a very poor decision.

Gabbert tried to fit a pass to wide receiver Jeremy Kerley through a very narrow window. With the game on the line, it’s hard to see why Gabbert made this choice.

And there were other problematic throws too. Just check out this one, courtesy of KNBR’s Kevin Jones:

A number of passes were also thrown into the ground — would be completions had the accuracy been better.

Equally frustrating was the lack of a ground game. After ripping off two touchdowns and 88 yards in Week 1, No. 1 running back Carlos Hyde was held to just 34 yards and zero scores.

Granted, Carolina’s front-seven defense is legit. And credit the Panthers’ run defense for ensuring San Francisco’s top offensive weapon wasn’t a factor.

The 49ers also couldn’t bottle up Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin, in particular, torched the Niners defense for seven catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Olsen had a touchdown grab of his own on top of 122 yards receiving.

The Good

As stated earlier, this game wasn’t as bad as it seems. Aside from being in contention late in the fourth quarter, San Francisco was trailing just 17-10 going into halftime — certainly not the early blowout many were expecting.

Gabbert did have some nice throws under center. His 75-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vance McDonald was particularly impressive:

"Blaine Gabbert. Vance McDonald. TD. https://t.co/0FaVxexzkZ— 49ers Brasil (@49ersBrasil_) September 18, 2016"

McDonald now has touchdown catches in back-to-back games.

Gabbert also got No. 1 wideout Torrey Smith involved, as the veteran receiver hauled in his first touchdown of the young season.

San Francisco’s offensive line continues to be a strength, as evidenced by Pro Football Focus, which is a far cry from where this unit was a year ago.

And the Niners also won the turnover battle — four to three in favor of San Francisco.

Unfortunately, the 49ers turnovers late in the game hampered any hopes for a comeback victory.

The Ugly

No one on the team would ever say it, but the short week — combined with heat and humidity — looked like it was a factor.

San Francisco’s defense was worn down late in the game. The Panthers had the ball for over 10 minutes longer than their Niners counterparts. Gaffes in coverage, as well as numerous missed tackles, are evidence of this as the game went on.

Oh, and the 49ers were particularly vulnerable against the run. Carolina running back Fozzy Whittaker managed 100 yards on 16 carriers — an average of 6.3 yards per attempt — and the Panthers netted a whopping 176 yards of offense on the ground.

This, of course, made the Panthers’ passing game that much easier.

And it’s clear the Niners are hurting for a pass rush. San Francisco’s defense was credited for just one sack and three quarterback hits — not the way to stop quarterback Cam Newton.

All this might have been offset by any sort of Niners rhythm and efficiency on offense. But this was almost nonexistent on non-turnover-generated drives. And the 49ers were just 4-of-14 on third downs.

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Yet, in many ways, this game went the way many of us felt it would. San Francisco kept things close for the first half and frustrated the Panthers long enough to make it interesting.

Only after the failures on offense did the 49ers start to lose hopes late in the game. Even then, Carolina’s own mistakes kept San Francisco hanging around into the fourth quarter.

Up next, the Niners visit the Seattle Seahawks — a team coming off a three-point performance against the Los Angeles Rams — the same team the 49ers walloped 28-0 in Week 1.

Next: 49ers vs. Panthers: Week 2 Grades and Analysis for San Francisco

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of ESPN.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.