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SF 49ers: 4 players who must be on point in Week 17 vs. Seahawks

By Peter Panacy

C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers under pressure from Bobby Wagner #54 of the Seattle Seahawks (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers under pressure from Bobby Wagner #54 of the Seattle Seahawks (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Jason Verrett, SF 49ers
Jason Verrett #22 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

No. 1: SF 49ers Cornerback Jason Verrett

Veteran cornerback Jason Verrett‘s 2020 campaign has been storybook, particularly in the wake of him missing all but six regular-season games due to injury dating back to the beginning of 2016.

And one could argue Verrett’s efforts in Week 16 against Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins were epic. Verrett, after all, broke up a would-be Hopkins touchdown in the end zone by getting his hands through Hopkins’ grasp on the ball. The pass fell incomplete, and the Cardinals were forced to settle for a field-goal on that particular drive.

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Verrett, a free agent in 2021, is in for yet another elite-level test after already going up against one of the best wide receivers in the game, Hopkins, last week.

This time, the primary task will be shutting down Seahawks second-year pro wideout D.K. Metcalf.

Metcalf, who already has 1,282 receiving yards on the season, is a mismatch nightmare for most NFL defensive backs. His 6-foot-4, 229-pound frame creates obvious problems for the shorter, smaller Verrett, who seems outclassed with his own 5-foot-10, 188-pound body.

Yet Verrett has won over his career by using positioning and jamming abilities at the line of scrimmage to bump receivers off their routes, and he’ll have to do much more of the same against Metcalf, whose release off the line might be the only area of weakness to his otherwise stellar game.

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If Verrett winds up containing Metcalf in this premier one-on-one matchup, the SF 49ers stand a modest chance in Week 17 against their NFC West rivals.