5 49ers players to watch in Week 15 versus Seahawks
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon
For much of the season, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon has been the focus of 49ers fans’ discontent with the defense.
Over the past four weeks, however, Witherspoon appears to have corrected the numerous issues he was having earlier. Just consider this, from Pro Football Focus (h/t the Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman):
Per @PFF, #49ers CB Ahkello Witherspoon allowed eight receptions on 23 targets (35 percent) during his last four games. And he hasn’t allowed a touchdown in coverage in his past six games, after allowing six in his first six contests.
— Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman) December 13, 2018
One of Witherspoon’s biggest issues earlier was his tendency to give up at least one big play per game. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is one of the best at taking advantage of broken plays — the same kind of plays with which Witherspoon has struggled in 2018.
Week 15 should be a pretty big reveal whether or not the second-year defensive back has turned a page on his previous struggles.