Pressure cooker: 49ers who must step up in pivotal Rams game
Jesse Reed • October 28, 2022
The San Francisco 49ers are trending down after two straight losses. It's time for their stars to shine in Week 8.
The San Francisco 49ers are at a critical moment in the 2022 NFL season. Following two losses in a row, they are a third-place team with a 3-4 record anda potential identity crisis brewing, should they fail to take care of business on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Fans are surely heartened thinking of the 49ers' recent dominance over the Rams. Just a few weeks back, San Francisco thrashed Los Angeles with a 24-9 victory that shouldn't have been nearly as close as the score suggests.
Let me be the first to tell you that Sunday's NFC West showdown is going to be anything but easy.
The 49ers have a whole list of mistakes they need to rectify to avoid falling to 3-5 heading into the bye week. In all three phases -- offense, defense, and special teams -- they must improve. There's a ton of pressure on Kyle Shanahan and DeMeco Ryans to dial up a winning game plan.
The Rams are also fighting for playoff relevancy after a 3-3 start that was anything but impressive. But they will be the fresher team following a bye of their own. And they'll have had two weeks to prepare for their bitter rival.
If the 49ers are going to avoid a third-straight loss, it will certainly take a team-wide effort. However, there are a few players who bear a bigger burden of responsibility.
Obviously one of them is Jimmy Garoppolo. The quarterback is always going to be at the top of a list like this. But we already know with Garoppolo it's a toss-up, and that horse has already been beaten to death.
These are the guys not named Jimmy Garoppolo who must step up for the 49ers to beat L.A. once again.
Brandon Aiyuk, Wide Receiver
Aiyuk has star power. Every single game you can tell he has the ability to be one of those rare guys who can absolutely take a game over. We got a taste of that in Week 6 when he went off for eight catches, 83 yards and two touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons.
Greg Papa and Tim Ryan were on another level with their call of Brandon Aiyuk's 2nd touchdown on Sunday 😂 pic.twitter.com/53fYAB2zzX
The past two weeks, both of which were in losing causes, Aiyuk has mostly been a bright spot. He's piled up 15 receptions for 165 yards and two scores. He also has been subject to a few infuriating drops (like the rest of San Francisco's receiving corps), and needs to work on consistency in that regard.
3 & 3 at the KC12 (10:31) Garoppolo INC to Aiyuk. Play kind of looked like 'Lion Y Choice' (that's a guess). Big drop from Aiyuk, foreshadowing what happens when players do not do the little things. pic.twitter.com/B028xByfbG
Looking ahead to Sunday against the Rams, Aiyuk's responsibilities may grow larger than is typical for the 24-year-old budding star. Deebo Samuel isn't going to play. He's missed practice all week dealing with a hamstring injury. The 49ers made it clear he won't "be put in harm's way," (h/t Niners Nation), and they proved it by holding him out of this weekend's contest.
Given the 49ers' recent defensive struggles, the offense may need to score four-plus touchdowns. Feeding Aiyuk will go a long way toward meeting that goal. I have a feeling he's ready to break out in a major way this Sunday against Jalen Ramsey and the Rams.
Nick Bosa, Defensive End
Nick Bosa had the 49ers' only sack of Patrick Mahomes in Week 7, yet his overall performance was well under his high standards. Typically, Bosa practically lives in the backfield. Last Sunday, he managed two overall pressures. That's not great.
Bosa was also roasted a few times on plays targeting San Francisco's edge.
The Chiefs utilized screens, jet sweeps, ran at Bosa, etc. to keep him off balance and use his aggressiveness against him.
WR Mecole Hardman had two carries for 28 yards and two TDs on the ground last week. Would love to see Van Jefferson utilized in this role in his return.
The last time the 49ers faced the Rams, Bosa had a field day. He ended up with an absurd 14 pressures, and Stafford looked like he'd been on the losing end of a heavyweight fight after the game. That's the type of game Bosa needs to have again this Sunday.
Make it happen, big guy. The Faithful are ready to be entertained.
Jimmie Ward, Defensive Back
In case you were wondering, yes, I did purposefully write "defensive back" instead of "safety." Ward played almost exclusively at nickel cornerback last Sunday against the Chiefs. It wasn't always pretty, either.
Ward is an All-Pro-caliber free safety and is the best free safety on the team as well. However, the season-ending injury to star cornerback Emmanuel Moseley changed the 49ers' depth at that position, and in the course of that adjustment it so happens Ward is the team's best option at nickel.
Additionally, the duo of Tashaun Gipson and Talanoa Hufanga on the back end has, until last weekend, yielded little but beautiful results. There's a chance that Jason Verrett, recently activated off the PUP list, can ultimately become a full-time contributor and potentially push Ward back to safety.
Until then, however, the team's longest-tenured player must stretch himself and tackle the unenviable task of stopping Cooper Kupp, who is arguably the best receiver the league has to offer.
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