After being benched in the loss to the Bears this past Sunday, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be back in the starting lineup this Sunday vs. the Jets.
Kaepernick was horrible on a snowy day in Chicago, completing just 1-of-5 passes for 4 yards before being yanked in favor of Blaine Gabbert. Kaepernick expressed surprise at the benching, but was told by quarterbacks coach Ryan Day this week that he will start when the 1-11 49ers – losers of 11 straight games – play host to the 3-9 Jets.
Kaepernick this week said he was disappointed in his play in the loss to the Bears, but admitted he should have played better, even in frigid conditions that made it hard for every quarterback that day. Gabbert was 4-of-10 for 35 yards as his replacement.
“Elements always play a factor, but you have to be able to handle the elements. That’s part of football,” Kaepernick told reporters this week. “That’s part of what we get paid to do and we have to do a better job with that.”
Until his bad game against the Bears, Kaepernick’s play had surged in recent weeks. He’d thrown for 296 yards and rushed for 113 the week before vs. the Dolphins and had thrown six touchdown passes vs. one interception over his three previous games.
If Kaepernick – who can enter free agency after this season -- wants to bid for a job with the 49ers next season (or any other team in the league in 2017), he’ll have to perform well over the final four games to aid his cause.
But, he says he’s not thinking about that. He says he’s not thinking about free agency or where he might be in 2017. He wants to bear down and help the team win its second game Sunday.
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“What my focus is right now is getting ready for the New York Jets this week,” Kaepernick said. “There’s no conversation with other teams, anything like that. Right now, I’m part of the 49ers. My focus is helping my teammates get a win this week.”
Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium.
