In wet, snowy conditions in Chicago which made throwing the ball difficult for both teams — well, that and the fact that the quarterbacks involved also included the Bears’ Matt Barkley — Kaepernick attempted five passes, completing just one for four yards, before being replaced by Gabbert in the fourth quarter with the 49ers down by 18. Gabbert fared little better, completing 4 of 10 passes for 35 yards while also getting sacked in the end zone for a safety.

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Kaepernick couldn’t even get anything going with his legs, carrying the ball six times for just 20 yards, this after racking up 113 yards on the ground the week before. He entered the game second among NFL quarterbacks in rushing yardage, with 373, despite not having played until Week 6.

“It wasn’t something I was expecting,” Kaepernick said afterward about his benching (via ESPN). He added: “This coaching staff didn’t feel like I was out there being able to help this team win, so they made a change, whether I agree with that or not.”

Though his first six starts had all ended in losses, Kaepernick had looked like a good match for Coach Chip Kelly’s scheme and conjured up memories of 2014, the last time he was an effective quarterback. Thus reports that he was going to opt out of his contract after this season but likely re-sign with the 49ers seemed to make sense.

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