San Francisco 49ers: Marquise Goodwin, players to watch vs. Rams in Week 7

Marquise Goodwin

Goodwin opened up the passing game for C.J. Beathard in his return from a thigh injury in Green Bay, shredding the Packers for 126 yards and two touchdowns on just four catches. With Aqib Talib sidelined for the Rams, Goodwin is set to draw a favorable matchup with Troy Hill, unless Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips decides to shadow him with Marcus Peters.

There is strong chance this will be a high-scoring contest with the league’s best offense facing a 49er defense that has been among the worst in the NFL. If the Niners are to have any hope of keeping pace, they will need Goodwin to take advantage of his matchup and replicate his electric display at Lambeau Field.

Fred Warner

San Francisco’s much-maligned defense actually put in one of its best performances of the season in Week 6, but the Niners were ultimately doomed by miscommunications on that side of the ball in the first quarter and in the closing minutes.

The blame for the confusion falls at the feet of rookie Mike linebacker Fred Warner, who is in charge of communicating the play calls to his teammates and ensuring the defense is properly aligned.

There were too many occasions in Green Bay where he clearly failed in that regard and Aaron Rodgers reaped the benefits. In a game with an offense that thrives on defensive uncertainty, Warner cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes this week.