Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 has of course been headlined by his protest of the National Anthem, but another big storyline has been the fact that he’s been the San Francisco 49ers’ backup quarterback, despite Blaine Gabbert struggling immensely under center for the 49ers over the first five weeks.
Well, Kaepernick finally got the start for the 49ers in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills. A high-profile moment in the NFL season that Bills fans turned into an ugly scene outside of Ralph Wilson Stadium/New Era Field before the game.
Tasteless merchandise and tasteless moments from Bills fans were well reported by Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated. Klemko reported on a scene that bordered on racist at times from some Buffalo supporters who acted without class.
Shirts with a rifle scope trained on Colin Kaepernick selling for $10 outside of Ralph Wilson stadium. pic.twitter.com/bSuxF3G5qq
— robertklemko (@RobertKlemko) October 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/RobertKlemko/status/787697859739148288
The scenes at the game were equally as ugly, as a report surfaced that a fan attempted to throw a beer at Kaepernick on the sidelines. Tensions remaining high as Kaepernick’s protest is still dividing NFL fanbases after his actions first made headlines during the August preseason.
Beyond the ugly scenes was Kaepernick’s performance, an outing that was an improvement over Gabbert’s play, even if Kaepernick didn’t light the world on fire in what was another blowout loss for the rebuilding 49ers. Kaepernick’s 13/29 passing for 187 yards was not the upgrade that Kelly was hoping for when he made the switch, but Kaepernick did make several nice plays with his legs that made him a definite step up from what Gabbert was giving the offense over the first five weeks of the season.
While Kaepernick will provide similar distractions at NFL stadiums this season and the Niners did lose 45-16, he gives this team their best chance of being competitive on offense right now. Gabbert and Christian Ponder both are clearly lesser talents than Kaepernick, which will keep Kaepernick in the spotlight for the rest of the season. Whether Kaepernick can elevate his play with more reps is still unknown, but he deserves to be out there and will remain out there until the Niners can upgrade at the position this offseason.
Other Early Game Thoughts
– The Cincinnati Bengals are left for dead after their second half meltdown against the New England Patriots. It was a game that the Bengals were expected to lose, but throwing away a lead on the road to the Patriots will be hard to recover from for an aging team that looks to have lost a step at too many key positions this year. Don’t expect a comeback in the AFC North for the Bengals as this could be head coach Marvin Lewis’ final year in charge after a long run with the franchise.
– Eli Manning added to his potential Hall of Fame resume with his 300th passing touchdown in the Giants win over the Ravens as voters will have a tough time keeping him out of Canton at the end of his career. Manning is frustratingly inconsistent, but as he climbs the all-time touchdown list with two Super Bowl rings, his case for the Hall of Fame continues to look more and more solid.
– The Tennessee Titans — and the rest of the AFC South except for the Jacksonville Jaguars — have a case to win the division despite a mediocre start to the season. A win over the Cleveland Browns pushes the Titans back to .500, and now has a logjam in the rest of the division pending the result of Texans-Colts on Sunday Night Football. A Colts win would create a three-way tie at 3-3 for the AFC South lead, and the Titans would be in a good spot with a home game against Indy next week followed by another AFC South battle in Nashville with the Jaguars. Tennessee has holes all over their roster, but with Marcus Mariota and DeMarco Murray they could back themselves into a race in the NFL’s most mediocre division.
