AP

By just about any metric, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is not playing as well this year as he did last year. But don’t tell that to coach Jim Harbaugh.

When a reporter asked about Kaepernick’s struggles in his second season as San Francisco’s starter, Harbaugh said he didn’t accept the premise of the question.

“I think he’s doing a heck of a job,” Harbaugh said of his first ever offensive draft selection. “I guess I’d be puzzled to why people would think that. What’s most important is what we see. I’m puzzled to why you or anybody else thinks that.”

Kaepernick has totaled just 218 passing yards during the 49ers’ current two-game losing streak. That’s less in two games than most quarterbacks average in one game. But Harbaugh says he’s pleased with the way Kaepernick plays, week in and week out, and has been since Kaepernick’s rookie year.

“He’s been consistently good,” Harbaugh said. “He’s been like that every week he’s been backup or a starter.”

Harbaugh may have Kaepernick’s back, but the reality is that the 49ers are going to need Kaepernick to play better down the stretch than he did in the last two weeks. Entering the season among the favorites to win the Super Bowl, the 49ers are now in danger of missing the playoffs. If they do miss the playoffs, a step backward for Kaepernick will be the primary reason.