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.
No. 4: 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga
Given many of the Niners’ offensive struggles so far this season, it’s no surprise so much of their prospects for a win over the Rams on Monday Night Football will hinge on the defense maintaining the kind of prowess it has shown through three weeks.
Granted, LA has had a number of its own offensive problems, too, and the lack of contingency targets for quarterback Matthew Stafford behind All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp is one of them.
Kupp isn’t going to be mentioned just once here, so keep that in mind. But one of Stafford’s other favorite targets is veteran tight end Tyler Higbee, who is second on the team behind Kupp with 16 catches for 171 yards.
Frequently, Higbee will find himself covered by second-year safety Talanoa Hufanga, who has been quite the positive for San Francisco’s defense, currently boasting 21 tackles, four of which are for a loss, an interception and three passes broken up. And despite his reputation for not having adequate coverage speed, Hufanga is nevertheless forcing opposing quarterbacks to throw for a lowly 48.7 passer rating when targeting him.
Higbee might be Hufanga’s toughest challenge to date, though, and it’s likely Los Angeles looks to exploit this matchup to see if the former USC defensive back is the real deal.
No. 3: 49ers EDGE Nick Bosa
While the 49ers can worry a bit about their offensive line squaring off against Aaron Donald, the Rams should also be worried about subjecting Matthew Stafford to more pressure, courtesy of Pro Bowl EDGE Nick Bosa.
Stafford has already taken nine sacks on the year, and while seven of them came back in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, it’s important to recognize that’s the kind of prowess the Niners’ own pass rush is supposed to emulate.
Bosa, who has four sacks in three games, will frequently find himself lining up opposite now-starting left tackle Joe Noteboom, who has yet to allow a sack on the season but will be in for his biggest test of the year in Bosa.
And if that matchup winds up favoring San Francisco, one might suspect Stafford to tack onto his notably high five interceptions on the season in contrast to his four touchdowns thrown.
As was the case a year ago when these two teams squared off for the first of three bouts, Stafford tossing picks under pressure could be the perfect recipe for the 49ers getting back into the win column.
Bosa has a key role to play for that to happen.
No. 2: 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward
Remember that part about Cooper Kupp? Well, he’s still Matthew Stafford’s No. 1 target by far, and the 2021 All-Pro wideout currently leads the Rams with 28 receptions for 280 yards and three receiving touchdowns, and he’s also tacked on a 20-yard rushing touchdown, too.
With LA not getting the desired production from No. 2 wide receiver Allen Robinson just yet (seven catches for 88 yards), it’s safe to say head coach Sean McVay’s pass offense will still flow through Kupp.
Just like it did in each of the three games both Los Angeles and San Francisco played last season.
Read More: Cooper Kupp is still as potent a threat to Niners as ever
However, the 49ers’ cornerback room is much different now than it was a year ago, highlighted by the offseason free-agent pickup of cornerback Charvarius Ward, who already has 18 tackles, three passes broken up, a forced fumble and an interception, all the while forcing opposing quarterbacks to toss a passer rating of just 35.4 when targeting him.
That’s the kind of net effort the Niners will need from Ward when he’s lined up opposite Kupp on Monday night.
No. 1: 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel
San Francisco has yet to have one of its offensive players effectively “take over a game” this season, yet one player who is always prone to do so is All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Samuel has gotten off to a good, not great start to 2022, a reflection of the 49ers’ overall offensive struggles on the year. To date, Samuel does have 242 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, but when one adds his two fumbles and his career-low 8.3 yards per touch so far, it’s fair to expect a little more.
Luckily, Samuel has enjoyed some exceptional success against the 49ers’ NFC West rivals over the years.
In six regular-season contests, Samuel has mustered 33 receptions for 440 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 104 yards and three more touchdowns on the ground, all figures being the most against any one single opponent.
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Not counting the Niners’ loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship game last February, San Francisco has gone a perfect 6-0 in those games where Samuel has been present.
However he’s deployed, whether it’s as a receiving/yards-after-the-catch threat or as a unique rusher on the ground, the 49ers would love nothing more than to have Samuel completely take over Monday Night Football.
The Niners and Rams square off against each other on Monday, Oct. 3 at 8:15 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium.