FLOWERY BRANCH – The San Francisco 49ers are in absolute mid-season disarray.
After trading two-time Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis to Denver, the 49ers (2-6) benched quarterback Colin Kaepernick in favor of Blaine Gabbert before hosting the Falcons (6-2) at 4 p.m. Sunday at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Kaepernick, who guided the 49ers to victory over the Falcons in the NFC championship game after the 2012 regular season, has struggled mightily this season.
With Kaepernick at the controls and throwing errant passes by the bushel, the 49ers have dropped six of their past seven games, including a 27-6 defeat to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
On the season, Kaepernick has completed 144 or 243 passes (59.3 percent) for six touchdowns and five interceptions. He has a passer rating of 78.8.
Gabbert, a former first-round pick by Jacksonville, has a 5-22 record as an NFL starter. He was drafted 10th overall in the 2011 draft and is considered a bust. 49ers coach Jim Tomsula dodged questions about the move in his Monday press conference.
Gabbert will be the third backup quarterback the Falcons have faced and one of the quarterbacks they’ve beaten, Ryan Mallett, is out of the league. Washington’s Kirk Cousins was a backup until this season.
The Falcons beat Dallas with Brandon Weeden filling in for Tony Roma and defeated Tennessee’s Zach Mettenberger, who was filling in for the injured Marcus Mariota.
Gabbert, who played at Missouri, has a strong arm. But he left Jacksonville with a reputation for getting flustered in the pocket and having happy feet when under duress.
The Falcons, who have struggled to mount a pass rush this season, will need to try to rattle Gabbert.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn was previously at Seattle and knows the 49ers from playing them twice a year in the NFC West.
“We have a pretty good understanding of the guys who were there from the offensive side, from my experience,” Quinn said. “Then (offensive line coach) Chris (Morgan) from the (defensive) side of the guys that were there.”
The 49ers will likely lean on their rushing attack. But the Falcons give up just 83.4 yards rushing per game, third in the league.
“Everybody just has to stay with their gap-discipline and do their job,” linebacker Justin Durant said. “They have to concentrate on what they have to do and not try to do too much and we’ll be alright.”
Gabbert could be facing a re-shuffled Falcons’ secondary. Cornerbacks Robert Alford (groin) and Desmond Trufant (lower back) left the Tampa Bay game because of injury. Starting strong safety William Moore (groin) missed the game.
Rookie cornerback Jalen Collins and veteran Phillips Adams finished the game. Also, Kemal Ishmael and rookie Robenson Therezie shared Moore’s duties.
“Oh man, the young guys are coming in and doing their jobs,” Durant said. “That’s what we have to do, the next man is up. When they came in, they were prepared to play.”
While the chaos reigns for the 49ers’ offense, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan remains impressed with the defense.
“They have been a strong defensive football team, really since I’ve been in the league,” Ryan said.
The 49ers, who lost a ton of players over the offseason including Chris Borland, Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith, are led by linebackers Navorro Bowman and Ahmad Brooks.
“They still have a lot of great players,” Ryan said. “Novarro Bowman looks like he’s back playing at a super high level. Ahmad Brooks is another player who’s been a great player for them for a long time. They’ve got Glenn Dorsey and (Tank) Carradine, who is playing well. So, I think this is a solid defense that is physical.”
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