Gabbert completed 18 of 31 passes for 162 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in Thursday's 33-21 loss to the Cardinals. He also tallied 70 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushes.
Although he was impressively effective throughout the night on the ground-- including a game-long 24-yard run that was part of an 82-yard scoring drive-- it was Gabbert's two mistakes through the air that played a key role in the loss. The veteran signal-caller's first misfire came late in the second quarter on a pass intended for Garrett Celek that ended up in the hands of Calais Campbell, giving Drew Stanton and the Cardinals the ball on the 49ers 21-yard line. Stanton parlayed the mistake into a 21-yard touchdown on the very next play, knotting the game at 7-7. Gabbert then gave the Cardinals the ball deep in his own end again on the first play of the fourth quarter with a second interception on a pass intended for Jeremy Kerley. The 26-year-old also took seven sacks despite his mobility, and has now failed to throw for at least 200 yards in four of his first five games. With the fans chanting for Colin Kaepernick after both of Gabbert's interceptions, and the latter struggling overall to maximize the full potential of head coach Chip Kelly's offense, a switch behind center is could come to fruition in the near future.