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San Francisco 49ers

Head coach Chip Kelly is not contemplating a quarterback change after the 49ers' 24-17 loss Sunday to the Dallas Cowboys, their third consecutive defeat.

In fact, Kelly didn't think starter Blaine Gabbert performed poorly at all.

"I thought Blaine played well today, to be honest with you," Kelly said. "Besides that one throw."

But as Sacramento Bee staffer Matthew Barrows notes, that one throw was pivotal.

Trailing by four points in the fourth quarter, the 49ers got a boost when Jeremy Kerley returned a punt 26 yards to the San Francisco 45-yard line. On the next play, wide receiver Torrey Smith was in his element -- running deep downfield and cruising past cornerback Morris Claiborne.

But instead of hitting Smith in stride for the touchdown, Gabbert's pass was short and hung in the air, and Claiborne made an easy interception. The Cowboys then went on an 11-play, clock-grinding drive that ended with a field goal.

"That's on me," Gabbert said. "I've got to throw him to the middle of the field. I've got to throw him to the hash, and I just cut it a little too early and just missed him wide."

Smith is by far the 49ers' best and most experienced receiver. But for the second consecutive game, he was a non-factor. He and Gabbert connected only once, late in the fourth quarter, on a fourth-and-6 play. The reception gained just 3 yards, allowing the Cowboys to take possession and run out the clock.

Gabbert, criticized for throwing short of the first-down marker last week against the Seattle Seahawks, didn't seem to know just how far the 49ers were from a first down on the play.

"We came up a yard short," he said. "That's the way it goes. We're 3 feet short and that's a tough pill to swallow. We were driving there pretty good there on that last drive of the game and they just rallied to the ball."

Those two plays doused what had been a hot start for Gabbert.

After going 0 for 10 on third-down conversions through three quarters against Seattle, Gabbert and his teammates began 7 for 7 in that category Sunday. One of those conversions was a 33-yard touchdown to Kerley. Another came on a 3-yard touchdown run by Carlos Hyde, who initially took a step forward, saw no openings in front of him, then scooted to his right and found a clear path to the end zone.

Of course, the offense wasn't the ultimate culprit in the loss.

Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott finished with 138 yards, becoming the third consecutive running back to gain 100 yards or more against the 49ers.

In fact, after holding the Los Angeles Rams to 185 total yards in Week 1, San Francisco's defense has given up more than 400 yards in the past three games, with Dallas producing 428.

The unit also likely will be missing two stalwarts, linebacker NaVorro Bowman and lineman DeForest Buckner, who were injured in the second half. Bowman suffered an Achilles injury that will sideline him for the rest of the season. Buckner (foot) is doubtful for this week.

Gabbert finished 16 of 23 for 196 yards with a respectable 91.9 passer rating. But he threw for only 87 yards in the final three quarters.

Smith was seen throwing his helmet on the sideline in frustration after the fourth-quarter interception. Similarly demonstrative scenes from Smith and from then-starting wide receiver Anquan Boldin last year preceded the 49ers replacing Colin Kaepernick with Gabbert.

"We were both frustrated," Gabbert said. "I mean, that was a huge play in the game. Every game in the league comes down to one or two plays that change the outcome and that definitely had an impact on it, and that's on me."

Smith has just nine catches for 106 yards and one touchdown through four games with the NFL's least productive passing offense.

"I'm fine being patient, I'm completely fine not getting the ball as long as we're moving the ball and we're scoring points," Smith said Tuesday. "I'll never complain about that. It's tough when I'm waiting and I know we have an opportunity to change a game like that and we miss. It's tough."

Smith's biggest strength as a receiver is his ability to get deep and that has not meshed well with Gabbert's abilities. Gabbert has completed just one of 10 pass attempts at least 20 yards down field - a 28-yard TD catch by Smith against Carolina - and his 33.3 rating on those attempts is the second worst in the league, according to SportRadar.

The Niners had their best success a year ago throwing to Smith, generating a 116.9 passer rating on those throws in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus. That has not been the case this year when that rating has dropped to 37.7

Smith was targeted 16 times the first two games - catching just five of those passes - but has been rather invisible the past two games with just six targets and four catches for 38 yards.

Bottom line? Those expecting a Smith renaissance this season probably need to set their sights lower at this point. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Hyde scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the season in Sunday's loss. Coupled with his two-TD effort the previous week at Seattle, it marked the first time that Hyde has rushed for touchdowns in consecutive games in his career.

Kerley had six catches for 88 yards and the above-mentioned touchdown against the Cowboys. Kerley's TD, the 10th of his career, was a 33-yard reception from Gabbert in the first quarter. Kerley suffered an ankle injury in the game and is questionable for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

Wide receiver Aaron Burbridge made his first career start on Sunday. His one catch went for 5 yards.

Tight end Vance McDonald (hip) sat out Sunday's loss. McDonald is expected to return to practice this week and might return for Thursday's game. TE Garrett Celek took advantage of McDonald's injury to haul in five catches for 79 yards. Both the receptions and yardage were career highs.

McDonald was limited in Tuesday's practice and he was listed as questionable for Thurday night's game along with Kerley.


DEPTH CHART
QBs: Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick, Christian Ponder 
RBs: Carlos Hyde, Shaun Draughn, Mike Davis, Kendall Gaskins 
WRs: Torrey Smith, Quinton Patton, Jeremy Kerley, Aaron Burbridge, Rod Streater, Jerome Simpson, Eric Rogers 
TEs: Vance McDonald, Garrett Celek, Blake Bell, Bruce Miller