Broncos vs. 49ers: Top Week 14 storylines for San Francisco
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Wide Receiver Dante Pettis’ Maturation
It didn’t exactly happen right away. But rookie wide receiver Dante Pettis‘ impact the past two weeks has been notable, to say the least.
In Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pettis recorded 77 receiving yards on four catches and a touchdown. Impressive, sure. But then he backed that up with a five-catch, 129-yard and two-touchdown effort in Seattle the following week.
It’s good to see Pettis coming on as of late. After the 49ers moved up to No. 44 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft to select him, it certainly wasn’t hard to feel some frustration with Pettis after such a sluggish start to his rookie year. True, injuries didn’t exactly help. But the lack of any sizable impact didn’t make the Niners’ front office and scouting department look smart.
All that seems to be changing, however.
Plus, Week 14 looks to be the first time, post Pettis’ recent blossoming, Kyle Shanahan will enjoy a tandem between the rookie route runner and speedy wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who appears poised to return from a two-week personal leave of absence.
Perhaps this will be a preview of what the 49ers passing game will look like when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo returns in 2019.