49ers vs. Colts: Full Week 5 preview for San Francisco

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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Wide receiver Pierre Garcon #15 of the San Francisco 49ers makes a catch over cornerback Patrick Peterson #21 of the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Offensive & Defensive X-Factors for San Francisco

Getting Pierre Garçon going

With four games played, only one 49ers wide receiver has had a good game. That was Pierre Garçon, and it came in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams. When the San Francisco offense was rolling, Garçon was a major part of it.

Facing a Colts secondary that is ranked No. 24 in DVOA pass defense and that has surrendered at least 295 passing yards in three of the four games played this year, Garçon could have himself a nice week. The downside is that cornerback Vonate Davis will be shadowing Garçon, but an overall porous unit still provides for a tantalizing matchup.

Garçon is the team’s best receiver by leaps and bounds, and when he’s going, so is the offense. Reliability has been the name of the game for the 10-year veteran so far — 0% drop rate for Garçon. Hoyer’s best game came when he was able to find Garçon; look for that to be a theme this week.

Also of note is that nickel cornerback Nate Hairston has been ruled out of this week’s game.

Rushing the quarterback

This has already been talked about, but the emergence of Buckner on the 49ers defensive line has elevated the play of the entire unit. San Francisco is currently No. 19 in total defense, and while that’s in the bottom half of the league, two things need to be remembered.

First, Foster is out with an injury. Foster is only a rookie, but is already one of the team’s best linebackers. Second, this unit is coming off one of the worst defensive seasons in the history of the NFL. So, think about where they started (absolute bottom) and where they currently are now (nearing midlevel).

Buckner is the reason for that, and the defense is most effective when he’s swarming the opposing signal-caller. The Colts have very little of a run game, ranking No. 26 in the NFL for rushing yards per game, so Brissett offers the only real threat for the 49ers.