Following the 49ers Wild Card win over the Eagles, looking at who improved and who didn’t from Week 18
When the San Francisco 49ers took the field in Seattle against the Seahawks in Week 1, their starting offense was:
LT Trent Williams
LG Ben Bartch
C Jake Brendel
RG Dominick Puni
RT Colton McKivitz
TE George Kittle
QB Brock Purdy
RB Christian McCaffrey
FB Kyle Juszczyk
WR Ricky Pearsall
WR Jauan Jennings
In that game, Marques Valdes-Scantling and Russell Gage played 27 and 28 snaps, respectively, at wide receiver. They are no longer on the roster. Pearsall was limited once again on Tuesday. It makes you wonder: the further the 49ers advance, does that mean Jacob Cowing has a chance to play? He was a full participant.
Kendrick Bourne and Malik Turner were not on the 49ers roster in Week 1. They were on the field during the Wild Card round in the two-minute drive.
Bartch had two stints on the Injured Reserve, with the final one ending his season. It’s been Spencer Burford at left guard since. In Week 1, Burford played one snap at left tackle.
Kittle, arguably the best player at his position, suffered an Achilles injury that’ll prevent him from playing. Jake Tonges ended up playing 30 snaps when Kittle left, but it was Luke Farrell who played the most snaps at tight end, with 44.
There were the defensive starters:
DE Nick Bosa
DT Kalia Davis
DT Jordan Elliott
DE Mykel Williams
LB Fred Warner
LB Dee Winters
LB Luke Gifford
CB Renardo Green
CB Deommodore Lenoir
Nickel Upton Stout
S Jason Pinnock
S Marques Sigle
It was Sigle, not Ji’Ayir Brown, who won the job to begin the season. If Brown can’t go, the starters figure to be Malik Mustapha, who was recovering from surgery after a torn ACL he needed in the offseason.
In a turn of events, we might see Warner on the field before we see Winters and Gifford, who did not participate in the 49ers’ walk-through practice on Tuesday. Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers’ opening Warner’s practice window was for the scenario of the 49ers making the NFC Championship. Shanahan also said Warner wasn’t going to practice this week, either.
No Bosa or Mykel the third time around. In their first action as a pro, Collins and West combined for 16 snaps. Neither played double-digit snaps. Instead, Kalia Davis and Jordan Elliott were the primary contributors at defensive tackle. The rookies have since grown up. Last week, West and Collins outsnapped the veteran duo, which was also the case in Week 18. Sam Okuayinonu played 15 snaps in Week 1.
He’s now the team’s most important edge rusher. The NFL playoffs are about who is the hottest, healthiest, and can execute situationally. This exercise was to show you how the 49ers found ways to win on the field despite losing the battle of attrition off it.
Category: General Sports
