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Panthers vs. 49ers: Breaking down San Francisco’s game plan

By Chris Wilson

CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 18: The Carolina Panthers line up against the San Francisco 49ers in the 1st quarter during the game at Bank of America Stadium on September 18, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 18: The Carolina Panthers line up against the San Francisco 49ers in the 1st quarter during the game at Bank of America Stadium on September 18, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Reuben Foster
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 27: Latavius Murray #25 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball against Reuben Foster #56 of the San Francisco 49ers in the preseason game on August 27, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 32-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Defensive Game Plan

On Sunday, the 49ers’ defensive game plan will be twofold. First, the 49ers will need to pressure the injured Newton, in order to hide the deficiencies in their secondary. Quarterback pressure from the Niners’ line will be a common theme this season, as pressure from the front four is necessary for the 49ers’ new Cover 3 Press defensive scheme to be effective.

Second, the 49ers will need to contain Carolina’s running backs — particularly the versatile McCaffrey.

McCaffrey and fellow running back Jonathan Stewart are different types of backs; although they are the same height, Stewart weighs 35 pounds more than McCaffrey and caught only eight passes last season. McCaffrey is an all-purpose player, and was used as a running back, receiver, punt returner and kick returner in college, and set the NCAA record with 3,864 all-purpose yards in 2015.

The Panthers will attempt to use McCaffrey to create mismatches against the 49ers defense, and head coach Ron Rivera surely has some tricks up his sleeve for his first-round pick. Even in the preseason, McCaffrey lined up in a wide variety of locations on the field.

In a traditional single-back set:

As a tailback in I Formation:

Next to his quarterback in shotgun:

Lined up in the slot:

Motioned out wide, outside the numbers:

McCaffrey was impressive in the preseason, showing off his agility, speed and pass-catching ability:

Luckily for the 49ers, they may have the antidote to McCaffrey in their own rookie, linebacker Reuben Foster. Foster amassed his own set of highlights over the course of the preseason, and will likely be responsible for McCaffrey when the 49ers are in man coverage.

Foster has a rare combination of speed, power and intuition, and he excels against both the pass and the run.

Here, Foster pancakes Minnesota Vikings guard Alex Boone before forcing running back Dalvin Cook out of bounds short of the marker:

Cook gets another taste of Foster, as the linebacker demonstrates his closing speed and tackling skills on a pass behind the line of scrimmage:

Look for the 49ers — and Foster particularly — to pay extra attention to McCaffrey, as the Panthers will use set plays designed to get the ball into the hands of their star rookie.