He caught a pass for 10 yards midway through the 1st quarter (on a 3rd & 15 situation).

Early in 2Q, a catchable pass over the middle (crossing pattern) clanked off Vance's hands and was intercepted. Bummer.

Oh, no! Inside a minute before halftime, another catchable pass bounces off Vance's hands (short out pattern) and is intercepted. Bengals score on the next play and lead 21-zip at intermission. Grrr.

The aftermath.

Vance's teammates are admirably supportive (San Jose Mercury News):

Quote:Quarterback Blaine Gabbert didn’t call out McDonald after the game.

“That’s football for you. It’s not anyone’s fault,” Gabbert said. “Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way. You can’t point fingers, can’t place blame. Just throw the ball better, catch the ball better, and it starts with me.”

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin also exonerated McDonald of shouldering so much blame.

“That’s part of football. Some days, you have days like that. Nobody here is down on Vance,” Boldin said. “Vance works his butt off. He gives us everything that he has. You can’t put this game on Vance at all.”

But the pundits were piling on:

Niners Nation:

Quote:Welcome back, brick hands. Vance McDonald seemed to be making progress in recent weeks, and looked salvageable. After missing Week 14 with a concussion, McDonald had a horrible receiving day in Week 15 against the Bengals. He had two bad drops that both led to Bengals interceptions. ... if you really felt like declaring a "worst performance of the day", it probably goes to McDonald.

CBS Sports:

Quote:McDonald (concussion) had an atrocious game against the Bengals on Sunday, only catching one pass (four targets) for 10 yards in the loss. While the stat line left much to be desired, where McDonald truly failed was in an area that didn't show up in the stat sheet. He had two easy catches (that would have converted first downs) simply bounce off his hands and result in two easy picks for the defense. The big drops could have been why Blaine Gabbert turned to Blake Bell (four catches, 43 yards) the rest of the game. While nothing was officially announced, this is the sort of performance that causes a 3-11 team to explore other options at tight end.

Niner Noise (includes a video of the second drop/interception):

Quote:Headline: Vance McDonald's Performance in Week 15 Should Seal 49ers TE's Fate.

San Francisco 49ers tight end Vance McDonald had a game he’d rather forget in Week 15 versus the Cincinnati Bengals — a game where two bobbled would-be catches were intercepted off his hands.

The San Francisco 49ers should be eyeing a replacement for third-year pro tight end Vance McDonald after what happened in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

... his effort should be the final exclamation point on his future with San Francisco.

...

McDonald had a nice two-game stretch between Weeks 11 and 12 when he hauled in touchdowns in back-to-back games — notably, the first two touchdown receptions of his three-year career. The 49ers’ second-round pick of the 2013 NFL draft hasn’t done much in the receiving game since breaking into the league.

Unfortunately, Week 15 resembled more of what McDonald has been known for.

McDonald missed Week 14 with a concussion and reverted back to his dropping ways on Sunday. After the two drops, rookie tight end Blake Bell assumed the No. 1 duties at the position and finished with 56 snaps to McDonald’s 39, per David Fucillo of Niners Nation.

“I just have to execute better,” McDonald said after the game, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “That’s definitely not (like) me, underperforming.

“Just move on, have a short memory in this game. Just got to execute. Simple little things. And I’m capable of doing it.”

Well, not exactly.

McDonald doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to hauling in passes. As Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus (h/t Bay Area Sports Guy) points out, McDonald’s drop rate is 22 percent — highest among any qualifying tight end over the last three years. (He's "dropped 9 of 41 catchable balls.")

This should be all the evidence one needs to know.

San Francisco may already have a long-term replacement for McDonald next season. Bell is likely in the 49ers plans well beyond 2016, and it also wouldn’t be surprising to see the team re-sign fellow TE Garrett Celek (IR) for next year as well.

And, perhaps, rookie tight end Busta Anderson could be an addition to the 53-man roster.