San Francisco 49ers: How Ahkello Witherspoon can bounce back vs. Buccaneers in Week 12

The San Francisco 49ers’ Ahkello Witherspoon has struggled his second year in the NFL, but there are ways he can turn things around against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12.

Moving into Week 12, the San Francisco 49ers will travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers will test second-year cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, matching him up against some top wide receivers, including Mike Evans.

Coming off a breakout rookie year, it was hoped  Witherspoon would turn into an elite cornerback this season. Especially with veteran corner Richard Sherman even including him in his mini training camp during the preseason. However, after 10 weeks, Witherspoon is yet to meet those expectations. To some degree, he looks like a different player, and not in a good way.

Witherspoon has regressed, finding it difficult to cover players effectively whether that be in man or zone coverage. With the addition of Sherman, the 49ers’ right side of the defense has been continually targeted by opposing teams.

Quarterbacks are simply not willing to risk throwing near a veteran corner such as Sherman and risking a pick. The pressure is therefore heaped upon Witherspoon and his fellow young secondary to stop the opposing offense.

The talent that he displayed previously is simply lacking at present, with his confidence and resilience likely taking a hit. Frustration is showing, with his recent on field display following an Odell Beckham Jr. touchdown on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants. Witherspoon threw his hands up in the air following the touchdown, frustrated in the lack of assistance he received in covering Beckham:

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked in the post-match press conference if he was OK with Witherspoon’s display on the field.

“No, I am not,” Shanahan said. “No. Man up. Don’t put that on tape. We’ll deal with it when we come in.”

Sherman was also critical of Witherspoon’s response to the situation.

“You shouldn’t ever do that. That’s like a cardinal rule of football. He’s frustrated because you’re expecting guys to be where they’re supposed to be.”

The blame for the Niners’ secondary woes cannot solely be placed upon Witherspoon, however. With other members of the secondary struggling to grasp concepts and plays, there seems to be a lack of understanding and somewhat confusion in terms of assignments and adjusting as the play progresses.

Miscommunication among the secondary is also to blame for their ongoing problems. Beckham’s first touchdown of the night should simply not have occurred. Witherspoon, along with defensive backs Jimmie Ward and K’Waun Williams, literally had Beckham surrounded, however no player made a move towards him until it was too late.

Coming into their matchup against the Buccaneers, Witherspoon and Co. will need to step it up. They will face some top receivers in the likes of the previously mentioned Evans, who has already recorded 967 receiving yards with an average of 17.1 yards per reception after just 10 games.

The Bucs’ DeSean Jackson and Chris Godwin will also be dangerous matchups for Witherspoon, with Jackson also on track to break 1000-plus receiving yards this season.

The bye week and some much-needed rest will hopefully put Witherspoon in the right headspace to take on the Bucs. With the 49ers likely to address the issues at secondary during the 2019 NFL Draft, Witherspoon needs to get back to the player we know he can be in order to cement his ongoing role with the team.