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Five 49ers to watch in Week 5 NFC West matchup vs. Cardinals originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The 49ers open a stretch of back-to-back NFC West games, followed by high-profile games against Kansas City and Dallas.
After going 2-2 to open the 2024 NFL season, the 49ers need to string some wins together if they have any hopes of repeating as the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
They have to take care of business Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium before heading to Seattle for a quick turnaround game Thursday. The Seahawks lead the division with a 3-1 record.
At this point, the 49ers do not know whether tight end George Kittle (ribs) or linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) will be available. So they might need some others to step up.
Here are five players to watch for the 49ers against the Cardinals:
RT Colton McKivitz
Colton McKivitz is four games into his second season as the 49ers’ starting right tackle, and this year has started much better than a year ago.
In his first game after replacing Mike McGlinchey, McKivitz surrendered three sacks to Pittsburgh edge rusher T.J. Watt to open the 2023 season.
This season, McKivitz has been beaten for one sack in four games — though that was a sack-strip against the Los Angeles Rams that resulted in a turnover late in the first half.
When asked how McKivitz is playing, 49ers offensive line coach Chris Forster answered, “Really well. Obviously, he had a rough outing a couple weeks ago and he bounced back, like he always has. Last week he bounced back again.”
McKivitz ranks 16th in the NFL among all offensive tackles (left and right), according to PFF. He will likely see a lot of Cardinals outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck, who registered three sacks in a 41-10 victory over the Rams in Week 2.
S Ji’Ayir Brown
Second-year player Ji’Ayir Brown has been the constant on the last line of defense in the 49ers’ secondary this season.
The 49ers have started three other safeties alongside Brown. George Odum started the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/five-49ers-watch-week-5-205455704.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-10-04 20:54:55
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