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The 49ers’ bag is deep
Nothing has been easy for the San Francisco 49ers in 2024. Few teams have had to deal with an avalanche of injuries like the 49ers have this season.
No operation has had to embody the next-man mentality like this year’s 49ers and yet, on Sunday Night Football, as they continued to dig into the bag for playmakers, they found answers.
With Deebo Samuel once again in and out of the game, Brandon Aiyuk on IR and Christian McCaffrey at least a couple of weeks away from a return, George Kittle was the lone superstar 49er skill-position player available. He made his presence felt all night long.
Kittle led the 49ers in routes and was targeted on 28% of those patterns. The Cowboys linebackers and other middle-of-the-field defenders will have nightmares of the All-Pro tight end. Not only did he instantly dust anyone who covered him, he looked to get upfield as soon as the pass hit his hands. Kittle averaged almost 12 yards after the catch per reception on Sunday night.
Given the state of the 49ers injury list, he was the main man Dallas needed to contend with. They were utterly incapable of handling the task.
It wasn’t just Kittle who contributed to moving the ball. Plenty of ancillary characters stepped up, and that was without primary depth receiver Jauan Jennings, still out with a hip injury. First-round wideout Ricky Pearsall didn’t have a big fantasy day but caught all four of his targets and contributed a critical 39-yard run in the final minutes to help close out the game.
When Jordan Mason left the game with the shoulder injury he’s been nursing, rookie rusher Isaac Guerendo stepped in to touch the ball 14 times for 80 yards. He looks like someone who could start games for this team and they’d be solid.
Picks like Pearsall and Gurendo seem like luxuries when they come down the wire during NFL Draft weekend. The 49ers have great players at those positions, so why are these guys needed? Beyond the reality of eventual…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/week-8-caredont-care-cowboys-could-learn-a-thing-or-two-from-49ers-about-the-importance-of-depth-041225547.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-10-28 04:13:27
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