49ers vs. Cardinals: Why Reuben Foster is an X-factor in Week 8

The 1-6 San Francisco 49ers face an equally struggling 1-6 Arizona Cardinals team on Sunday. Niner Noise looks at why linebacker Reuben Foster is the key to winning this game.

The San Francisco 49ers play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, which means San Francisco can actually win this game!

And that is either good or bad, considering how you look at it (a win would give the 49ers a lower NFL Draft pick for 2019).

For this article, we’re going to be utilizing the mindset of the team — and that’s just to win, baby. The Cardinals are arguably the worst team in the league, and it would just be flat-out embarrassing to get swept by this team this season.

The 49ers haven’t beat the Cardinals since 2014 and haven’t won in Arizona since 2013. Getting a win on Sunday would snap these unfortunate losing streaks.

A player that could be a major factor in determining whether the Niners get the win or not? None other than second-year inside linebacker Reuben Foster.

SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: Adrian Peterson #23 of the Arizona Cardinals is tackled by Reuben Foster #56 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Foster was my draft crush in the 2014 NFL Draft, so you can bet that I was thrilled when 49ers general manager John Lynch was able to steal him at the end of the first round.

He lived up to expectations in his rookie year, earning a 90.7 Pro Football Focus grade, which ranked first among all rookie linebackers and fourth among all NFL linebackers.

This year? Foster has just a 44.3 Pro Football Focus grade, which ranks 76th out of 85 qualifying linebackers.

It is hard to imagine how a player could regress so much from his rookie year, but that seems to be the story of the 49ers’ season, with second-year defensive backs Ahkello Witherspoon and Adrian Colbert also noticeably taking major steps back in their sophomore year.

Foster’s biggest problem so far this year has been missed tackles. He is second in the league in this category with 12 on the year.

To compare that with last year, Foster only had 10 his entire rookie season.

A possible reason for Foster’s sudden steep decline in performance is his tackling style. Last year, Foster’s tackling form would always get him hurt, so it wouldn’t be crazy to think that the coaches taught him to change his tackling form in order to protect his body.

If that is indeed the case, it isn’t working. Up until this year, Foster has always specialized in tackling other players, and now, all of a sudden he is one of the worst in the league.

Foster will have a tough test this week in Arizona running back David Johnson, the Cardinals’ only real weapon on offense. Johnson is tough between the tackles and is hard to bring down in the open field. He is arguably a top-five running back in the league, and he showed that in San Francisco earlier this year with two rushing touchdowns.

dark. Next. 3 predictions for 49ers at 2018 NFL trade deadline

Since Johnson is the Cardinals’ biggest weapon, Foster’s level of play will be a crucial factor for this game come Sunday. If the struggling linebacker can contain Johnson, which he would be more of capable of doing last year (Johnson missed 15 games last year with a dislocated wrist), then the 49ers should be able to fly out of Glendale, Arizona with a much-needed win.