San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) carries the ball in for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the third quarter in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers passing attack has struggled mightily lately, and there are two culprits. First off, Colin Kaepernick has really had a down year, and it’s been incredibly disappointing watching a player with his natural talent flop. Secondly, the 49ers just don’t have enough weapons around him in the passing game, and that’s largely due to injuries. In all honesty, most of the blame needs to be shouldered by Kaep, but he’s still had an uphill battle. And if Vernon Davis is unable to play this week, then Kaepernick’s battle just got a lot tougher; I’m sure you all have seen the statistic that Kaepernick is significantly worse without Davis on the field.
Davis’s status for this week’s huge game against the New Orleans Saints is squarely in doubt, as he suffered a concussion in last week’s 10-9 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He still needs to pass one final, mandatory concussion test in order to play, and a lot of the 49ers success on offense hinges on Davis’s ability to play. He’s been terrific this season with 520 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, and he is as important as anyone to the Niners success on offense. Davis has been the team’s best catcher this year, especially since he has done an excellent job of stretching the seam and making a big impact in the red zone.
According to CSN Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco , Davis was in a red, no-contact jersey at practice today, and it sounds like he is going to be a total game-time decision. His status depends on that final concussion test, so keep a keen eye out for all updates regarding his status against the Saints.
San Francisco 49ers No. 1 wide receiver Michael Crabtree isn’t too far away from his return and activation off of the PUP list, and the good news is that Maiocco is reporting that Crabtree is back on the practice field today. This news is important, because there were rumblings that Crabtree may have suffered a setback after he was unable to practice on Wednesday and Thursday. It will be interesting to see when he’s activated, and he could even play this week with the confirmation that he didn’t suffer a setback (both Crabtree and offensive coordinator Greg Roman denied the setback rumor that surfaced yesterday). I wouldn’t bank on Crabtree playing this week, but it’s still a possibility.
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