49ers vs. Packers: 4 Niners who must be on point in Week 3

The 49ers look to upend the Packers on Sunday Night Football this week, and if this is to happen, these four Niners must bring their A-game.

Perhaps it’s good the San Francisco 49ers don’t have to face a winless Green Bay Packers squad in Week 3 on Sunday Night Football for the Niners’ 2021 home opener.

After flopping in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers bounced back in a big way on Monday Night Football against the visiting Detroit Lions, who gave San Francisco quite the fourth-quarter fight in the opening week of the season.

With Green Bay now 1-1 after the 35-17 victory, the 49ers will look to emulate their 2019 levels of success against Rodgers and Co. Not what happened on Thursday Night Football last year when a depleted Niners team couldn’t shoulder the load.

One of the stars of 2019 who almost single-handedly beat the Packers in the NFC Championship round that season, running back Raheem Mostert, is out for the year with a knee injury.

As such, these four other San Francisco players will need to be performing at their very best under the bright lights of prime-time football this Sunday.

No. 4: 49ers Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir

Through two weeks of 2021, rookie cornerback Deommodore Lenoir has surrendered just five catches on 11 targets for an opposing quarterback passer rating of only 83.1. But that was against two non-elite quarterbacks, the Lions’ Jared Goff and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts.

Rodgers will be a vastly different story.

Last Monday, Rodgers found wide receiver Davante Adams for eight catches and 121 yards, and there’s no reason to suspect the future Hall of Fame quarterback will avoid targeting Lenoir as the first-year pro’s first true test of his NFL career.

Lenoir has been one of the 49ers’ better storylines from their 2021 rookie class, but he’ll certainly have his hands full with containing Adams, Rodgers and a still-dangerous Packers passing game this weekend.