49ers Three Things to Watch for in Week 10
The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a bye in Week Nine with a 4-4 record and will be facing off against Baker Mayfield and the 4-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week Ten. They’ll look to start the second half of their season with a win and show the NFL why they were the NFC favorites heading into the year. They should be getting some players back from injury and adding some new players to the roster as they push to make another run for the Super Bowl. Here are the 49ers top three things to watch for in Week Ten.
1. The Return of the CMac
Star running back Christian McCaffrery is on track to make his much anticipated season debut this weekend against the Bucs. McCaffrey has been suffering from achilles tendonitis, which took him out all the way back in training camp and he started the year on injured reserve. He went as far as seeing a specialist in Germany to hopefully get him back on the field and with his team faster. In his absence, Jordan Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo have been doing their best to fill the void. While they’ve been doing great in the run game, they are nowhere near the pass catcher or explosive runner that CMC is. His return would be a massive boost to a 49ers offense that has stalled out at times this season, particularly in the red zone.
2. Offense Rolls On
The 49ers didn’t make any splashy trades on offense at the deadline, but you can argue that getting McCaffrey and wide receiver Jauan Jennings back after the deadline, is just as good as any splashy trade they could’ve made. Maybe even better. Quarterback Brock Purdy and the rest of the 49ers offense certainly missed having CMC’s dynamic playmaking ability out there and they no doubt missed their third and long go to in Jennings, who missed the last two games with a hip injury. Rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is starting to find his place on the offense, so look for him to continue to develop and become a key piece on this team. George Kittle has arguably been the best tight end in football this year and there’s no reason that shouldn’t continue the rest of the year.
3. Defensive Energy
The 49ers defense has had stretches where they’ve looked energetic, feisty, and scary. Possessions where they flock towards the ball, hit hard, and just cause havoc. Fred Warner looks like a strong candidate for defensive player of the year. Look for him to continue his bid for the award as he leads this defense in the second half of the season. The defensive line did receive a boost after the trade deadline in defensive tackle Khalil Davis, who the 49ers acquired from the Houston Texans. This definitely helps out the line, especially after losing Javon Hargrave for the year. The secondary will likely be without star cornerback Charvarius Ward, whose one-year-old daughter tragically passed away last week. Coach Kyle Shanahan has said that Ward can take as much time away as he needed to grieve the loss. Expect his brothers on the defensive side of the ball to play extra hard for him and his daughter.
