San Francisco 49ers

49ers still seeking first offensive touchdown in first quarter

Published Dec. 17, 2015 7:31 p.m. ET

foxsports

With apologies to the team across the Bay, the first quarter continues to be a black hole for the San Francisco 49ers.

As they prepare for Sunday's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the 49ers are trying to rectify, an issue that has befuddled them for the entire season - they have yet to score an offensive touchdown in the first quarter. The Oakland Raiders in 2008 were the last team to have such a drought, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

"At the end of the day, I feel incredibly responsible for it," 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst told reporters Thursday.

Chryst said Blaine Gabbert, installed as the starter when Colin Kaepernick was benched after a 27-6 loss at St. Louis on Nov. 1, needs to do better on third downs. San Francisco is among the league's worst teams with a third-down conversion rate of 31.4 percent.

"Where Blaine has done really well is situational football -- two-minute (drill) and red zone," Chryst said. "What he hasn't done as good as a job as we need is third down."

The scoring issues go beyond the first quarter for the 49ers, who rank last in the NFL with an average of 14.5 points and have been limited to 13 points or fewer in five of their past seven games.