SF 49ers: Biggest studs, duds from Week 12 win vs. LA Rams
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Winner: Javon Kinlaw
Like Jimmie Ward, rookie defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw has been receiving a good deal of criticism this season.
And in Kinlaw’s case, it’s certainly not deserved, as fans and pundits are trying to compare him to the Pro Bowler he replaced, now Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
Yet Kinlaw is starting to make his mark on the field after showing mere promise over the first half of the season. In the Niners’ last game back in Week 10, Kinlaw recorded 1.5 sacks to notch his first in this category at the NFL level.
Then in Week 12, Kinlaw received a gift of an interception from Jared Goff, returning it for a 27-yard touchdown:
BIG MAN TD!! @JavonKinlaw with the Pick 6 and dive 😂#SFvsLAR on FOX/49ers app pic.twitter.com/6UwAiGX5aA
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 29, 2020
“I saw the ball come out, and I was like ‘yeah, we goin’ to the crib,'” Kinlaw told reporters after the game.
Yes, Aaron Donald was the biggest defensive factor for either team during the game. But Kinlaw has shown his own promise in back-to-back performances so far.
More importantly, San Francisco is starting to get the kind of results for which it hoped when Kinlaw was selected No. 14 overall in this year’s NFL Draft.