A vital step forward for 49ers’ Kaepernick
San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) throws a 76-yard touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter of their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SANTA CLARA – For Colin Kaepernick returning Thursday night to Levi’s Stadium to knock off their fierce rival the Seattle Seahawks, is a vital step forward for the season.
No time to relax for the 49ers signal caller, the bigger test is the home game against Seattle, which is also 2-4 and also just as desperate as the 49ers.
Kaepernick knows he won’t have to hear critiques about how he plays or how he prepares if he wins against Seattle. At least for a few days, he could afford to be relaxed and sure to show a hint of a tiny grin.
“People can talk all they want,” Kaepernick said, “that doesn’t affect how I go about my business.” It’s his way of warding off the outside world, which he has done even when he was riding high.
Lately, Kaepernick has had a need to block out suggestions, critiques, psychological analysis and pleadings of every quarterback expert in the universe. His confidence seemed to get obliterated on a weekly basis.
The reason for the hyper-analysis: Kaepernick turned in two of the worst games of his career against Arizona and Green Bay in Weeks 3 and 4.
So is he ready now? After Sunday’s Baltimore Ravens 25-20 win, a16-for-27 outing, for 340 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 128.2 passer rating, his highest since November 2013. Yes, he is ready.
It’s a restart for Kaepernick — and he repeatedly pointed out that all this production would’ve been impossible without the protection of his offensive line.
“I think our team is building,” Kaepernick said. “We’re gradually picking up momentum; we’re playing better and better. “It’s something that we have to continue.”
On Thursday will see if there is a step forward or could he go backward again. There could be more talk about his mechanics and preparation or the possibility of the 49ers moving on from him this offseason.
But a beautiful touch pass to fullback Bruce Miller for a 52-yard gain on the 49ers’ third drive versus the Ravens has changed the 49ers season for now.
Miller had been a forgotten man, but he showed up in the first quarter of Sunday’s game. Kaepernick hooked up with Miller on a 28-yard catch that included a great stiff arm play. Miller who twice in his career had 56 yards receiving in a game, had a career-best 89 yards on three catches by the end of the first quarter.
“I think the biggest thing that was wrong with the quarterback was we weren’t making very many plays,” Miller said of the early-season. “It was nice to see that when he put the ball up, maybe it wasn’t even the best decision, but guys went up and caught the football and made plays for him.”
Moments later, Kaepernick put up a lasered pass deep down the right sideline for a 76-yard touchdown to Torrey Smith, to beat ex-49er cornerback Shareece Wright.
“It helps a lot to get a big play, take a bit of the pressure off, get a quick touchdown, get Kap’s confidence going, the o-line’s confidence going,” Smith said.
“It’s a different vibe when you can get stuff like that happen early in the game.”
And then, in the second half, Kaepernick found Anquan Boldin deep on the left side for 51 yards. Three plays later, Kaepernick scrambled and threw it to Quinton Patton — his third option — breaking wide open in the end zone for the 49ers’ final score.
The weight of the world came off Kaepernick’s shoulders once he found out his teammates could carry a lot of the load as well.
Now we all know that Seattle is a different animal, and they are the defense that tore him apart in the last two meetings last season.
The 49ers quarterback with some personal momentum is going into his matchup vs. Richard Sherman with a $40 million 49ers’ investment in wide receiver Torrey Smith based on his deep speed, big-play ability, and quick-strike capabilities that were kept mostly under wraps for the first five games of the season.
Kaepernick is definitely in a much better place than he was two or three weeks ago, that’s for sure.
His teammates say Kaepernick has been the same guy throughout this season — light and laughing during practices, not letting the criticism beat him down.
“We can’t spend too much time being happy about this win,” Smith said. “We have a tough defense coming in here Thursday, so we have to get our mind right for that one.” Added Kaepernick: “We need this win Thursday.”
If they indeed pull that off, they’d have two wins in a five-day span. What a turnaround that would be after totaling just one win in their first five weeks. As I said, it would be a vital step forward.
Thursday’s game is Seattle (2-4) at 49ers (2-4), 5:25 p.m. CBS, NFL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Francisco 49ers, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
Follow EMI Sports Bay Area on Twitter at twitter. com/ @EMIsports.