SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick found his first-half groove, setting a career mark for most passing yards before halftime with 225 yards Sunday.
He also found Torrey Smith on that long-awaited deep ball, connecting for a season-high 76-yard touchdown pass.
Kaepernick built off the strides he made in a loss vs. the New York Giants Monday night to help the Niners to a 25-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. They ended a four-game losing streak and improved to 2-4, while dropping Baltimore to 1-5.
Kaepernick completed 16 of 27 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. It was good enough for a 128.2 passing rating.
And that’s what the 49ers need heading into a short week against the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.
What were they thinking? Sure, the Niners held a 12-point lead in the fourth-quarter, but the defense, which had been attacking and harassing Joe Flacco into mistakes all day, played soft and allowed him to pick them apart for a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to get the Ravens within five points with less than four minutes to play. And the Ravens still had enough to take a shot at the end zone on the game’s final play.
One reason to panic: Carlos Hyde has a sore left foot, one that requires the use of orthotics. He went down in pain in the third quarter, untouched, but returned. This might be a problem the rest of the season.
Fantasy watch: Fullback Bruce Miller entered the game with three catches for 30 yards on the season. He had three receptions for 89 yards... in the first quarter. His play-making ability opened the door for the wideouts.
Ouch: Besides Hyde’s foot issues, nose tackle Ian Williams went down early and it looked bad. But he walked off the field and returned to the game. Williams has missed significant time the past two seasons with injuries. Plus, Anquan Boldin appeared to jam his chest/shoulder on a long reception.
When Wright was wrong: Cornerback Shareece Wright, released by the Niners last week, said all along he simply wanted a chance to play. He got it with the Ravens and he was the victim on Smith’s 76-yard TD catch. Later, he slipped and fell on Quinton Patton’s 21-yard TD catch. Ouch.
Up next: It’s a short week for the Niners (2-4) as they play host to the Seattle Seahawks (2-4) on Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium. Seattle has won five of the last six meetings between the teams, including the playoffs and last year’s memorable Thanksgiving game, after which Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson ate turkey on the post-game NBC television set and Niners CEO Jed York Tweeted out an apology to fans for the team’s showing.