The 49ers may have good odds for the playoffs this season, but the only way the Super Bowl winds up being within reach is if these less-known players help.
The San Francisco 49ers falling to 6-6 after their disheartening loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13 wasn’t overly disastrous, at least in terms of the Niners’ playoff chances this season.
San Francisco only dropped one spot in the NFC playoff picture, going from the No. 6 seed down to No. 7, and it still holds tiebreakers over two of the currently non-slated teams in the standings because of wins over the 6-7 Philadelphia Eagles and 5-7 Minnesota Vikings with another game in hand against the 5-7 Atlanta Falcons.
With five games remaining, and some likely challenging road contests if they do get into the postseason dance, the 49ers are understandably going to have to rely on their top talent to advance to the Super Bowl.
But, in order to make the Super Bowl and have a realistic chance at winning it, they’ll need to dive into the deeper parts of their 53-man roster.
Here are four under-the-radar players who’ll have to play a major role in any serious Super Bowl push.
No. 4: 49ers EDGE Arden Key
The Niners’ biggest defensive standout this season has been, without question, EDGE Nick Bosa.
His team-leading 12 sacks and NFL-leading 16 tackles for a loss has been a primary reason why San Francisco’s defense, despite all its deficiencies elsewhere, has remained a top-10 unit in terms of yards allowed.
But Bosa can’t be the only one supplying the entirety of the pass rush, and the 49ers have generally lacked a quality complementary pass-rusher, particularly with fellow EDGE Dee Ford banged up again for much of the year.
Good thing fellow EDGE Arden Key, one of the former Las Vegas Raiders castoffs picked up by the Niners last offseason, has had something of a resurgence in 2021.
Key is second on the team behind Bosa with 3.5 sacks. And while no one will jump up and down about that number, it’ll nevertheless be crucial for Key to finish off the regular season strong and carry any momentum into the playoffs.
Especially if playoff-caliber opponents do their best to negate Bosa’s presence, opening up the need for Key to be a big contributor.
No. 3: 49ers Wide Receiver Jauan Jennings
San Francisco is finally starting to put together a quality one-two punch at wide receiver with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, although Samuel’s recent groin injury does create a modest bit of concern regarding his health down the stretch.
Yet the 49ers are still lacking that tertiary receiving option vacated by now-New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who admirably filled that void the previous four seasons.
With veteran wideout Mohamed Sanu still out and on injured reserve, the Niners have gone back and forth between depth receivers Trent Sherfield and Jauan Jennings to see if there’s any help to be had there.
True, both offer some upside, as Sherfield was the preseason star, while Jennings’ collegiate prowess of breaking tackles offers up some hope. And his second-year results have revealed a notable uptick in his blocking abilities and “chippiness.”
That might be the X-factor San Francisco needs down the stretch.
Jennings has just eight catches for 70 yards this season, but his big-bodied physique has also led to two touchdowns, and he’s already shown the ability to proverbially “get underneath an opponent’s skin” with his physicality.
Call it an underrated trait, but that’s precisely what the 49ers will have to deploy to make a Super Bowl.
No. 2: 49ers Cornerback Dontae Johnson
It’s weird to think veteran cornerback Dontae Johnson, so frequently on the fringes of the roster and always finding himself released and re-signed, will be tasked with providing a massive role in one way or another over the remaining course of the year.
But that’s the reality of the situation.
The Niners just lost one of their two starting cornerbacks, Emmanuel Moseley, to a high-ankle sprain. In an ideal world, one of San Francisco’s two 2021 NFL Draft picks, Ambry Thomas or Deommodore Lenoir, would be able to step into Moseley’s void and shoulder the load well enough to help bolster the secondary.
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Yet Thomas has struggled to see the field for much of the season, and the thinking here is he’ll have to wait until 2022 to make any sort of sizable impact, while Lenoir was regularly abused after coming into Week 13’s game after Moseley left, opening up the door for Johnson to see more field time.
It seems there’s a bigger chance the 49ers have to rely mostly on Johnson, especially if Thomas and Lenoir can’t make up for Moseley’s absence, which probably prompts some notable concern.
Unless Johnson winds up delivering high-quality play en route to the postseason and beyond.
No. 1: 49ers Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair
He truly shouldn’t be considered an under-the-radar player any longer.
It’s becoming clearer third-year linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair deserves to stay in the starting lineup, particularly after his impressive team-leading 16-tackle performance in Week 13 versus the Seahawks that included half a sack, a quarterback hit and a forced fumble.
The Niners’ linebacker depth was tested to the max in Week 13 with both Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw out with injuries. The good news is Warner appears close to a return. But Greenlaw, who originally suffered a groin injury way back in Week 1, reaggravated the same injury upon his return in Week 12 and was forced to miss the following week.
It’s anyone’s guess when Greenlaw is healthy again. But the good news is Al-Shaair has appeared to be the better option anyway.
Even at full force, San Francisco’s linebacker group will need to play a vital role for any Super Bowl run, and Al-Shaair will certainly wind up being a key X-factor in this unit’s success.
So far, the results over the course of the season have been exceptionally positive, yet Al-Shaair will need to keep that trend going if the 49ers want to make any serious dent in the playoffs.