4 SF 49ers players who must bounce back in Week 5 vs. Dolphins

A number of SF 49ers players struggled in Week 4 against the Eagles, yet these four have to rebound at home against the Dolphins in Week 5.

In a way, the entire SF 49ers roster has to bounce back from what was an ugly 25-20 Week 4 loss at home on Sunday Night Football to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Niners should have won that game against a previously winless Philly squad. Yet thanks to a stout and overpowering Eagles defensive line, combined with plenty of San Francisco’s own self-inflicted mistakes, the SF 49ers are now looking at a 2-2 start a quarter of the way through the regular season instead of 3-1.

While there’s plenty of blame to go around, it’s probably best to focus some attention on key players who were, in one way or another, directly responsible for the loss.

Chief among these is quarterback Nick Mullens, whose three turnovers ultimately resulted in 14 Eagles points. It was one of Mullens’ worst games as a pro, and it even resulted in head coach Kyle Shanahan pulling the plug on him, inserting No. 3 quarterback C.J. Beathard into the folds late.

Yet Mullens nor Beathard figure to get the start in San Francisco’s upcoming game, a Week 5 matchup at home against the 1-3 Miami Dolphins. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who missed Weeks 3 and 4 with a high-ankle sprain, has resumed practicing. Given the state of the team entering Week 5, one figures Shanahan will want Jimmy G back under center as soon as possible, provided he’s healthy.

To help Garoppolo and the chances for win No. 3 on the season, these four other SF 49ers players need to rebound after what was an ugly showing last Sunday versus the Eagles.