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The San Francisco 49ers have been dealing with injury issues all season, but Week 12’s game against the Green Bay Packers feels like a different mountain to climb.
In Week 12 the 49ers have already ruled out quarterback Brock Purdy and defensive end Nick Bosa. Left tackle Trent Williams missed a full week of practice and is officially questionable.
That trio would be at or near the top of a list of the 49ers’ most important players. Missing any two of them would have been a nightmare. The potential of missing all three puts San Francisco into a spot where their depth may be tested beyond its limits.
If San Francisco is to swing an upset in Green Bay, they’ll need these six players to step up:
This is an easy one. The 49ers don’t need their backup signal caller to throw for 300 yards and four touchdowns, they just need him to hit the designed layups, convert on some third downs, and avoid turnovers. If he can do those three things, San Francisco’s offense stands a chance of producing with their No. 2 quarterback in the game.
Floyd flashed a handful of times in Week 11 after Bosa went down, but for the most part this season has been underwhelming. Pro Football Focus credited Floyd with two sacks and six pressures against Seattle. That’s the kind of game they’ll need in Green Bay. The 49ers brought in Floyd to be a difference-maker at defensive end. Sunday will be a chance for him to really make his mark in a game and help San Francisco’s pass rush without its most productive player.
While the spot opposite Bosa will need to be better, that can’t be the only place the 49ers find pass rush help. That’s where Gross-Matos comes in. He made a couple splash plays in Week 11, but in his second game back from a knee injury he needs to more consistently post those types of plays. He’s No. 2 on the 49ers in pass rush win rate, and he’s most likely to replace most of Bosa’s snaps. Sunday would be a good time for Gross-Matos’s best game as a 49er. If he has that, it’ll make withstanding Bosa’s absence much easier.
Samuel won’t replace any player who’s banged up, but if the 49ers are going to swing an upset against the Packers they’ll need a vintage Samuel game. Allen isn’t liable to push the ball down field a ton, which means creative run plays and yards after catch will be a big part of the 49ers offense. There haven’t been any players better than Samuel over the last half decade at generating yards after the catch. San Francisco needs to see the best version of him in Green Bay after a disappointing first 10 games.
Brendel is another player who won’t directly replace anyone. However, with Allen at quarterback, Brendel has to be at his best to keep the Packers from getting pressure in the QB’s face. Every signal caller will struggle when they get pressure on them up the middle. It would be particularly rough for a backup like Allen who hasn’t started a game in three years. He needs to be kept upright with time to step into throws in passing situations. Brendel has struggled badly in pass protection this season. A better game from him would go a long way toward helping Allen succeed.
It’s unclear if the 49ers will need Moore, a 2021 fifth-round pick who has managed to stick around as a swing tackle after being drafted to play on the interior. He has a ton of experience at left tackle and spent all of training camp on the first-team offensive line with Trent Williams absent due to a contract dispute. Williams is questionable with an ankle injury for Sunday. The 49ers lost every game he didn’t start last year. Moore has to be at his best, especially as a run blocker, to give the 49ers a chance Sunday. If he struggles, it’ll be hard for them to get their offense off the ground.