There were bright spots from the San Francisco 49ers loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Here we look at three standout players.
There will have been few satisfied members of the San Francisco 49ers roster after their 28-18 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
It was a drab and hugely disappointing defeat for the Niners, dropping them to 1-4 and all but ending any hope of them being competitive without Jimmy Garoppolo.
Despite the nature of the loss to a previously winless team, there were a few players who should take pride from their performances, and here we look at three standouts from Week 5.
Kyle Juszczyk
General manager John Lynch described Juszczyk as an offensive weapon when the 49ers made him the highest-paid fullback in football ahead of the 2017 season. With the Niners down numerous wide receivers on Sunday, he was C.J. Beathard’s most reliable weapon on Sunday.
Consistently able to make an impact as a receiver out of the backfield, his ability to pick up yards after the catch coming to the fore on the 49ers opening scoring drive, Juszczyk tied his career high with six catches for 75 yards, while also tying his career long rushing attempt courtesy of a 12-yard run, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
With Dante Pettis again set to be sidelined in Week 6 and Marquise Goodwin’s status up in the air, Juszczyk will likely again be a key part of the passing attack as the Niners try to be on the other end of an upset.
Kyle Shanahan said Dante Pettis (knee) won’t play Monday vs. GB, said RB Matt Breida (ankle) won't practice on Thursday. He’ll be doubtful this week.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) October 8, 2018
Mike McGlinchey
Though Beathard was sacked four times, with two of those leading to fumbles, none were the fault of rookie right tackle Mike McGlinchey. Per Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week, McGlinchey had his best game as a pro, allowing just one hurry in 64 pass-blocking snaps and earning an impressive grade of 86.5 as a run blocker.
The season may appear to be lost but, even as the Niners drift from contention, this will be a useful campaign to evaluate what they have in their young players. If McGlinchey continues to perform as he did on Sunday, San Francisco will feel very confident in his ability to protect Garoppolo next year.
Richard Sherman
The 49ers secondary has come in for criticism this season, but Richard Sherman has been close to perfect for San Francisco in his first season with the team. Sherman did not allow a catch on either of his targets from Josh Rosen and has given up just one catch for 18 yards in four games in 2018, according to PFF (subscription required) (h/t 49ers.com).
The former Seattle Seahawk has effectively silenced those who doubted his ability to return from an Achilles injury and, as the leader of the defense, will hope an improved overall effort is a sign of things to come from Robert Saleh’s group as the Niners prepare to face Aaron Rodgers next Monday.
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