49ers: The Kaepernick Dilemma

Gabbert clearly provided a spark to the NFL’s lowest-ranked offense, which had scored fewer than 10 points in four of the first eight games for the first time in franchise history.

Atlanta has averaged only 16.75 points in its last four games, including Sunday’s 17-16 loss at San Francisco.

Those in the press always seem to be obsessed with a team’s identity, which seems a little absurd in today’s National Football League where games are so drastically different from one week to the next.

Credit the 49ers defense for stopping Atlanta, but there’s no fathomable reason why the Falcons’ rushing attack should have stunk like it did.

Without further ado, here are the NFC Power Rankings as I see them entering Week 10. Gabbert earned this day in the sun, though it was kind of blocked by the cloudy weather.

“My calendar is this Sunday”, Tomsula said, “and we’re open this week, and we got next week”. The 49ers may have found their line going forward, which is a positive because there is no way this group can gel when the lineup is not only changed from week-to-week, but from quarter-to-quarter. His greatness was in not being bad.

Gabbert said that pivotal third-down run indeed was something they practiced to make flawless Sunday. “I just feel like we have to play faster as an offense”. Lead these guys…. I just wanted to go out there today and just have fun. “It’s the one thing that’s going to keep me from really enjoying this win”.

A nice surprise for the 49ers was the performance of many of their young players, particularly in the secondary.

Sunday was special for other reasons, which are specific to Gabbert and the 49ers. Gabbert motions Bell across to create an unbalanced line. People tend to forget why Jacksonville traded up to get him with the tenth overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft. The 49ers were insane for making him their No. 2.

But instead, after the game Tomsula’s voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes were boring, and his emotions were nowhere near the surface. He was being relied on, and he produced. Most football minds would nearly immediately look for them to be extremely conservative running plays so as not to give up a safety and hopefully punt the ball out of the “danger zone” in which they were placed. Worrilow tries to recover at the last minute, but Gabbert puts just enough heat on his throw.

The ATL defense failed to get a sack in this game but did force two turnovers.

This isn’t about the mediocrity of his stats.

QB Matt Ryan completed 30 of 45 passes for 303 yards and one touchdown, his second consecutive game with at least 300 passing yards.

The Falcons, however, had struck first, taking a 3-0 lead with 9:25 left in the opening quarter on Bryant’s 44-yard field goal, capping a 46-yard drive.

Fantasy watch: Quinton Patton caught only three passes, but they gained a combined 70 yards.

The bye week will also be used for the players to get healthy again. The 49ers signed Draughn as a free agent earlier in the week, and he started the game Sunday in place of the injured Carlos Hyde.

What a way to start an era. And Gabbert provided it.