SF 49ers vs. NY Jets: 3 biggest threats to Niners in Week 2
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: An old SF 49ers friend, Frank Gore, gets the Jets run game going
Again, it doesn’t seem likely. Especially considering he’s 37 years old.
But veteran running back Frank Gore, who hasn’t relinquished his love for the SF 49ers over the years, would love nothing more than putting up a massive game against his former squad.
The context is there for him to do it, too.
New York will be without its top running back, Le’Veon Bell, who landed on short-term injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury. That means Week 2 will be a Gore feature. At this point in his career, Gore isn’t exactly a featured tailback any longer. Yet questioning just how much impact he could have over the course of 60 minutes is quite premature.
San Francisco fans know that about Gore all too well.
Granted, the 49ers don’t have to fear too much about Jets quarterback Sam Darnold and a banged-up wide receiver corps that will be without its top weapon, Jamison Crowder, this Sunday. Yet the Niners struggled against the run aplenty in 2019, and those figures seem to have carried over a bit into the early stages of this season, too.
Yes, it’s been only one week. Yet San Francisco allowed an average of 5.0 yards per rush attempt in Week 1, good for 25th in the league. And while that was primarily against the rushing prowess of Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, the recent history of the SF 49ers run defense suggests Gore and Co. will be a notable X-factor in Sunday’s contest.