San Francisco 49ers: 5 Players to watch vs. Chiefs in Week 3

The San Francisco 49ers face a daunting task as they try to upset the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, here we look at five players to watch.

After holding on for a first win of 2018 over the Detroit Lions, the San Francisco 49ers face an intimidating road game with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3. San Francisco was somewhat fortunate to claim a 30-27 victory in Week 2 and will need to produce a much better display to defeat a red-hot Chiefs team led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who set an NFL record by throwing for 10 touchdowns in the first two weeks of the campaign.

With both of Mahomes’ sparkling performances having taken place on the road, the atmosphere at the famously raucous Arrowhead Stadium will be akin to a party as Mahomes makes his home debut.

The Niners will be looking to move to 2-1 in an extremely difficult environment, and here we look at five players who will be key to them springing an upset.

5. Marquise Goodwin

Listed as questionable because of a quadricep injury sustained in the opener, Marquise Goodwin’s absence was keenly felt last week as the Niners receivers struggled to separate from tight Lions coverage.

Goodwin is not just a deep threat, he developed into a weapon at every level of the passing game last year. However, without his speed the 49ers had nobody to stretch the defense and help create easier matchups for the other pass-catchers on the team.

Though Detroit still gave up 30 points, the Lions did provide something of a blueprint to stopping Garoppolo by playing tight man coverage and forcing him to hold on the ball. Goodwin’s speed and development as a route-runner gives him the ability to shatter such gameplans and, against a Chiefs defense that has given up over 1,000 yards in two games, his mere presence should enable the Niners to open things out and put up points in the passing game.

4. Reuben Foster

The 49ers linebacking corps survived during Reuben Foster’s suspension largely because of the emergence of rookie third-round pick Fred Warner, who has performed magnificently in his first two games at Mike linebacker.

And it is the prospect of Foster and Warner playing together that makes the return of the former so tantalising. With Foster and Warner on the field at the same time the 49ers will have two linebackers with outstanding athleticism who excel in coverage and can swarm to the ball deliver forceful hits.

Despite Warner’s impressive start to his pro career, the middle of the field has been an area where opponents have been able to exploit the Niners, the absence of Foster and Malcolm Smith leaving San Francisco having to deploy the now injured Brock Coyle and former undrafted free agent Elijah Lee alongside Warner.

The Niners have not revealed how they will use their linebackers with Smith also returning to the fold from a hamstring injury. However, Foster’s reintroduction to the lineup should make the middle of the field a much more daunting place for opponents to attack. Going against one of the best and most athletic tight ends in the NFL in Travis Kelce, Foster needs to hit the ground running on his return and make sure that is the case as quickly as possible.

3. Ahkello Witherspoon

Ahkello Witherspoon suffered a setback in what has so far largely been a promising NFL career in Week 2 as the Lions targeted him at will with great success. The 2017 third-round pick allowed eight catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns against Detroit, according to Pro Football Focus, and the Chiefs will undoubtedly have taken note.

Having seen Richard Sherman lock down a whole side of the field in the same game, Mahomes and the Chiefs will in all likelihood avoid looking the All-Pro corner’s way and instead focus on targeting Witherspoon, who is questionable with ankle and hip injuries.

For the Niners to have a hope of upsetting the Chiefs, the defense will have to find some way to achieve the difficult task of slowing down Mahomes. To succeed in doing so, Witherspoon, providing he is healthy to play, will have to enjoy a huge bounce-back performance against arguably the league’s best receiving corps.

2. Solomon Thomas

Just as important as Witherspoon’s play in the secondary will be the 49ers ability to put Mahomes under pressure and get him on the ground, which is something his opponents have struggled to do so far. The Chiefs have given given up only two sacks in as many games but San Francisco’s deep defensive line should provide their offensive line with a stern test.

DeForest Buckner, who already has 3.5 sacks, will be the man expected to lead the charge for the Niners up front. However, coming off a game in which he played an unsustainable 82 percent of the snaps, per Pro Football Reference, Buckner will need those around him to make more of an impact.

Arik Armstead, Sheldon Day and Ronald Blair have all flashed but the player most are expecting more from on the defensive side of the trenches is former third overall pick Solomon Thomas. His return of just three sacks from 16 games is seen as unsatisfactory given his draft position and a lack of playing time in the opening weeks has led to further outside criticism.

But, after playing fewer than 50 percent of the snaps in each of the first two weeks, Thomas should be relatively fresh and has more than enough ability to push the pocket and pressure Mahomes from the interior. If the 49ers want to preserve Buckner a little in this one, the onus may well be on Thomas to lead the pass rush when he is off the field. An influential performance against an opponent as difficult as the Chiefs would silence some of his critics.

1. George Kittle

After an extremely impressive rookie year, tight end George Kittle was always likely to be an integral part of the offense in 2018 and through two games has been one of Garoppolo’s favorite targets. Kittle has been thrown at 13 times by Garoppolo and has seven catches for 112 yards going into an extremely enticing matchup for the former Iowa Hawkeye.

According to Football Outsiders, the Chiefs have given up 100.5 yards per game to tight ends. Boasting the athleticism to be a significant playmaker down the field, Kittle figures to be pivotal in helping the 49ers keep pace with an extremely potent Chiefs attack. Expect the Garoppolo-Kittle connection to be a huge part of the gameplan at Arrowhead.