The San Francisco 49ers opened Levi's Stadium with a 34-0 loss to the Denver Broncos. Let's take a look at the bad and the good:
Bad:
The backup quarterbacks - When asked about the play of the backup quarterbacks in his post game press conference 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said, "It's whoever doesn't turn the ball over." On Sunday all three of the backups took turns giving the ball to the Broncos.
While most of the negative attention is focused on Blaine Gabbert, Josh Johnson and McLeod Bethel-Thompson aren't doing anything to distinguish themselves. Johnson brings a bit more athleticism to the position, but he doesn't bring anything more to the table than Gabbert.
On the day the 49ers quarterbacks, including Kaepernick, did not complete a single pass that was thrown ten yards or more downfield until Bethel-Thompson hit Kevin Greene late in the fourth quarter, and even that throw should have been intercepted.
Jewel Hampton - Hampton was the fourth running back to enter the game for the 49ers and he promptly picked up where he left off last week by dropping a Gabbert pass over the middle that was almost intercepted.
49ers offensive coaches - All offseason we have heard the 49ers offensive coaches talk about how they have worked to streamline the offense. The 49ers were driving the ball well on their first possession until facing a 3rd and 8 from the Broncos 37 yard line they were forced to use a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty. Perhaps they need to go back to the chalk board.
Aaron Lynch - The rookie outside linebacker has drawn positive reviews since joining practices in training camp. He received his first game action on Sunday, and his offsides penalty wiped out a Kenneth Acker interception which allowed the Broncos to retain possession and kick another field goal a few plays later.
Phil Dawson - The 49ers kicker was almost automatic in 2013. On Sunday he shanked both field goal attempts wide right, the second from only 44 yards out.
Good:
Jonathan Martin - We didn't hear his name at all during the first half, and for an offensive lineman that is a good thing. Martin missed some time in practice this week due to the death of his grandmother, but he turned in a solid performance.
Ryan Seymour - Seymour finds himself in a battle with Adam Snyder for a roster spot, and turned in another solid effort. After playing right tackle against Baltimore, Seymour found himself playing right guard against Denver and was good with both his pass protection and run blocking.
Kenneth Acker - The rookie cornerback played well in the second half in coverage. On one possession he broke up a pass at the goal line, drew an offensive pass interference and then came down with an interception that was wiped out by an offsides penalty on Aaron Lynch.
Quinton Dial and Tank Carradine - On back to back plays the young 49ers defensive linemen made their impact felt. First it was Dial slicing through the line to drop the running back for a loss. On the very next play Carradine made quick work of the Broncos right guard to get a near sack on Brock Osweiler.
Bruce Ellington - For the second game in a row Ellington led all 49ers receivers with 4 receptions. He also averaged 28 yards per kickoff return, and appears to have solidified his role headed into the season.
