San Francisco 49ers left guard Mike Iupati is one of the league’s most talented road-grading run blockers, and he and Alex Boone were at the heart of the 49ers smashmouth rushing attack. The team has now transitioned to an offense that uses Colin Kaepernick’s arm more often, thanks to some terrific depth at the wide receiver position. But Boone and Iupati are still important pieces on the 49ers offensive line, and the Niners will have to roll without one of them for this week’s huge Sunday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos.
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Iupati left last week’s MNF game against the St. Louis Rams with a concussion, and he’s still dealing with concussion symptoms. Therefore, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh stated that Iupati won’t be able to play this week against the Broncos.
It’s a significant blow to the 49ers offensive line, but veteran Joe Looney should do a credible job of replacing him after playing well on Monday. He isn’t nearly as good as Iupati, but there are worse backup guards in this league for sure. Iupati has done a great job of opening up holes this season, though his pass protection has been a bit of a weakness thus far.