Week 5 preview vs Giants

For two straight weeks Colin Kaepernick has looked more like RG3 post-injury and less like the dual-threat big-armed quarterback that had the 49er fan base excited after 2012. The 49ers head East for a Sunday Night Showdown against the New York Giants who are coming off an impressive win over the Buffalo Bills. After losing their first two games, the Giants are beginning to settle into the season and look to make it three straight with a win over the reeling 49ers at home. Fans are starting to call for Blaine Gabbert and, while incredibly premature and slightly off base, there is no denying that Kap must play better for this team to even slightly compete in the loaded NFC West. Before the season, most would agree that the team would go as far as Kaepernick could take them. This year needed to be the year that Kap got back on track and flashed the skills that encouraged the 49ers front office to give him the big contract. Unfortunately, all we have seen is a steady decline since an impressive first week and not surprisingly, the team is struggling big time. The 49ers have an opportunity on Sunday Night Football to get a win against an injured Giants team that is working to stay atop the NFC East. The last three weeks have been hard for fans to stomach and an encouraging win could do a lot to quiet some of the talk.

For the fourth week in a row, the 49ers will face a quarterback that has one of the best receivers in the league at his disposal. The defensive backs handled Randall Cobb well last week and I anticipate seeing some of the same concepts utilized against Odell Beckham Jr. this Sunday. Rueben Randle is the receiver opposite Beckham this week with Victor Cruz still out from an injury suffered nearly a year ago. Against the Packers, Eric Mangini’s defense doubled Cobb and forced the Packers to beat the 49ers with James Jones and Ty Montgomery. Even with one of the top two quarterbacks in the league, the Packers weren’t nearly as effective as expected against a defense that had been worked two weeks in a row. The defense did more than enough to win the game against the Packers and if they can duplicate their work this week, the 49ers will be in another winnable game. Offensively, the Giants will use second-year running back Andre Williams and previous Raider, Rashad Jennings as part of a multi-headed rushing attack that has yet to make much of a mark, ranked 25th in the league at 93 YPG, according to ESPN statistics. The 49ers have been in this position for the last three weeks, however, and haven’t been able to take advantage of seemingly one-trick offenses. The Steelers were without LeVeon Bell and DeAngelo Williams throttled the defense. Andre Ellington was out Week 3 and Chris Johnson actually looked like the guy nicknamed CJ2K. Last week Eddie Lacy was coming off an injury, not at full health, and still ran hard against the team, particularly in the second half. The formula hasn’t changed but execution has kept this team from competing since Week 1. Stop the run against an inferior rushing team, corral a shifty wide receiver and force 3rd and 4th stringers to beat you, and tackle underneath to get off the field on critical downs.

Now we dive in some murky waters trying to figure out what this 49ers offense can do to be effective. First and foremost, Carlos Hyde needs to see more than the eight carries this week. Since Week 1, Jim Tomsula has mentioned more than once that he signs off on the playcalls and he recognized that he needs to do a better job of making sure Hyde sees more carries. Well, here we are in Week 5 and Hyde has been limited in touches by his own team more than the opponents. With Kaepernick’s confidence clearly shaken, this should be a week in which Hyde gets over twenty touches and the majority of them come early. Running the ball is not as exciting from a quick-score viewpoint but watching five massive men maul a defensive line for six, seven, or eight yards a pop is a thing of beauty. The offensive line has taken plenty of blame for the struggles of this team and they could use a sustained scoring drive where they pound the rock together and establish some dominance as a unit. The group as a whole seems to be lacking confidence and trust in one another, leading to each position locking up with a man in pass protection and being unable to work in tandem to handle stunts. Get this line going on Sunday Night and allow Carlos Hyde to get involved early and often should be on the top of the checklist for Sunday Night.

During the game last week I tweeted about Anquan Boldin and his clear frustration on the field. After many believing there is a rift in the locker room, especially among Kap and his wide receivers, Boldin came out Friday and made it clear that he is disappointed in the offense as a whole, not one specific player. And that’s the reality of this team thus far. Each week we can find a new scapegoat for a loss but the truth is that they have not played as a complete team in any loss and regardless of who is at fault, they as an entire unit need to perform better. Vernon Davis was ruled out for the game on Friday morning and once again we will turn to Celek, Bell, and McDonald to perform in multiple tight end sets. I would expect to see an offense that is opened up a little more than we are used to in the passing game. With Davis out, I don’t think anyone has much faith in Vance McDonald this weekend. I would not be surprised to see Geep and Co. make a concerted effort to focus the passing game on Torrey Smith and Boldin. Fans have begun to question the signing of Torrey Smith if the team won’t actively find ways to get him the ball and the grumblings will get worse each week. The Giants are playing without one of their top linebackers this week, Devon Kennard. Big Blue View, the Giants SB Nation page, calls Kennard the Giants “most dynamic linebacker”. You never root for injuries but sometimes, a team that isn’t fully healthy is what it may take for the 49ers to get back on track in the win column. Without Kennard on defense, Torrey Smith taking routes deep with Boldin running underneath on crossing routes could be available often. If Boldin gets going, his energy and attitude affect this team far beyond the stats. Kap should look his way early to get this team’s nastiness and swagger back in front of a national audience.

The 49ers face more of the same this week, a team slightly injured with average running backs and a much stronger passing game. We will see if the fourth time’s a charm and if Mangini and Chryst can put two great gameplans together against the same opponent. The defense needs to repeat its success against the Packers and the offense needs to find some sort of rhythm. The Giants are picking up steam while the 49ers are falling flat week after week. Every week becomes a game in which the team needs to get up big time for an opponent that could outscore them in a hurry. Fans can only hope to see some energy and passion out of a team that has looked tentative and lost for a few weeks in a row.

Lastly, prayers up for Ahmad Brooks who will not be with the team this week after leaving to be with his family. Brooks’ older sister passed away from lupus, according to his agent who delivered the news that Brooks’ would sit this game out. With so many memorable post-death games, it is important to also remember that everyone grieves in different ways and Brooks deserves his space while he mourns the loss of his sister. NFL players are seen as the ultimate tough men and yet the reality of life is that loss of any kind is tragic and often unexpected. As 49er faithful, we will miss seeing him on the field but will hope for some peace for his family this week as they deal with something much larger than football.