49ers vs. Rams: Niners who must bring their A-game on Monday night

The 49ers face their toughest challenge of the young season on Monday Night Football against the Rams, and these players must make a big impact.

The San Francisco 49ers have been in this kind of a situation before: one in which they’re coming off an embarrassing, ugly loss and need a get-right game against a division rival in prime time.

A year ago, the Niners turned around a 3-5 start to the season by demolishing the Los Angeles Rams under the bright lights. Now, following a laugher of a loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 3, San Francisco can hope to replicate what happened in 2021 in Week 4 on Monday Night Football when these two teams square off again.

One of the players who showed up in a big way last year was safety Jimmie Ward, who intercepted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford twice in the game, including one pick-six touchdown that helped set the tone in the 49ers’ favor.

With Ward still out on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, the Niners will have to turn to someone else to carry the proverbial torch in San Francisco’s attempt to get back to the .500 mark.

Here are five 49ers players who can show up in a decisive kind of fashion and will need to do so.

No. 5: 49ers swing tackle Colton McKivitz

Ideally, the Niners wouldn’t have to worry about facing perennial All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald and a potent LA defensive line without All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, but after Williams suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 3, San Francisco will have to go with its contingency plan by playing third-year pro Colton McKivitz in Williams’ stead.

McKivitz is a major downgrade. No questioning that. And what Los Angeles is likely to do will be lining up Donald opposite the backup tackle to create the most favorable matchups possible.

However, fans may recall how McKivitz filled in for Williams in Week 18 last year during a must-win game against the Rams at SoFI Stadium.

Of that particular performance, head coach Kyle Shanahan said the following, via the team’s website:

"That was such a big game, and we were really hoping we were going to have Trent, obviously. I just remember when we told Colton he was up, and it was no big deal to him. He went out there and he performed. It was a huge challenge going against those two edge players they (the Rams) had, and he just battles all game."

The 49ers won that overtime contest, of course. And they’ll be hoping McKivitz lives up to the challenge of facing Donald and EDGE Leonard Floyd rather than being overwhelmed by it.