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San Francisco 49ers: 5 Steps the Offense Needs to Take in Week 4

By Robert Smith

Jan 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton (11) runs with the ball after making a catch against the St. Louis Rams.Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton (11) runs with the ball after making a catch against the St. Louis Rams.Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 18, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly talks to quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) in the fourth quarter. The Panthers defeated the 49ers 46-27 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly talks to quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) in the fourth quarter. The Panthers defeated the 49ers 46-27 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1: Blaine Gabbert Has to Play Better

There are no two ways about it. Blaine Gabbert has not been good, period.

Gabbert enters Week 4 against the Cowboys ranked in the bottom five of the NFL in yards per attempt, completions, passing yards and overall QB rating.

Chip Kelly has come out and stated Gabbert would still be the starter. But the rumblings are loud and will get even louder for a change at the QB position should he not play well versus Dallas.

The two biggest knocks on him thus far are that he is terribly inaccurate, and that he does not get the ball down the field. Coming into the season, his accuracy, especially in comparison to Colin Kaepernick, was one of the bigger reasons that he was considered the front-runner for the starting job.

Sep 25, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) throws a pass during the first quarter in a game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) throws a pass during the first quarter in a game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

However, that just has not been the case early on in this season.

There were at least three or four plays in the Carolina game that Gabbert missed on. The incompletions came during a stretch where the Niners only trailed by four points. McDonald ran a pattern that took him just outside the numbers, while Celek took off up the middle of the field. With both players open, Gabbert overthrew Celek by five yards. And two plays later, the Niners had to punt.

In fact, at one point during the game, the Niners punted on five straight possessions in the third quarter against Carolina. Meanwhile, the Panthers were outscoring them 27-0 during the stretch.

With the toughest schedule in the NFL, the Niners cannot afford to have lapses in offensive efficiency or get bogged down on third down like they have in each of the first three games.

The key to beating the Cowboys on Sunday will be to run the ball and control the clock. Keeping Gabbert  in a position similar to Cowboys’ rookie Dak Prescott would be the smart move.

Having Prescott throw when he is forced off of his spots in the pocket will be the key to a 49ers victory.

Gabbert will have to find the receivers running intermediate routes and use the running game in play-action pass scenarios to locate and deliver accurate passes to his receivers.

Without the accuracy, he stands to put his receiving corps in harm’s way. A receiving corps that cannot afford any more losses to injury.

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It is time for Gabbert to step up and make plays in the passing game and lead this team out of it’s two-game losing streak. And if he fails, he just may be watching from the sideline as Kaepernick leads the team into Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Next: DE DeForest Buckner AlreadyAlready Leading 49ers Defense

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