49ers vs. Colts: 5 matchups that’ll determine who wins Week 7
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: 49ers TE Ross Dwelley vs. Colts S Andrew Sendejo
Yes, more backup-versus-backup matchups. It tends to happen when injuries start piling up for both teams, and that’ll be the case for both the 49ers and Colts in Week 7.
Tight end George Kittle is still on injured reserve with a calf injury, which likely gives way to No. 2 tight end Ross Dwelley to make something of an impact. If there’s a positive, Dwelley has adequately filled in for Kittle in previous years. And while Dwelley is a clear-cut downgrade with almost no yards-after-the-catch ability, his seemingly timely efforts to come up with clutch catches in key situations isn’t anything new.
To date, though, Dwelley has just three receptions for 46 yards, but at least one of them went for a touchdown.
To counter, Indianapolis is likely going to try fielding backup safety Andrew Sendejo, who is coming out of the concussion protocol and will be asked to fill in for the starter, Justin Blackmon, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during practice this week.
While that’s terrible news for the Colts, it does present an opportunity for Dwelley and the Niners to exploit.