3 Players to Watch for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 vs. Washington
Week six against the Los Angeles Rams was an all-around strong performance by the San Francisco 49ers. It was so strong that you could even say that they were the cause for the Rams’ acquisition of Jalen Ramsey.
The 49ers will now turn their attention to the Washington Redskins on Sunday with a prime opportunity to improve to 6-0. It’ll be on the pass rushers and Jimmy Garoppolo once again to seal the deal.
However, there are three players that we need to watch for the 49ers on Sunday and it starts with right tackle Daniel Brunskill.
Daniel Brunskill
Filling in for Mike McGlinchey for the second game in a row, Daniel Brunskill will look to replicate his performance from week six. Brunskill was the highest graded offensive lineman last week for the 49ers per Pro Football Focus. It comes as a great surprise because that is now twice that the 49ers have had a backup offensive tackle look strong.
That just gives credence to how stellar Kyle Shanahan’s system is.
He’s just able to plug and play almost able who has even a shred of talent. Brunskill is a player to watch on Sunday because we need to know if his game against the Rams is an outlier. The Rams do not have the same concentration of talent on the edge like Washington does. Ryan Kerrigan is an experience pass rusher who could have his way with Brunskill if he isn’t as capable as we thought.
Even Montez Sweat could prove to be a handful for him if he isn’t ready to go. Whichever player he’ll see on the edge, Brunskill will have to prove that he has the talent to hold is own out there. Right now, I’d say that Justin Skule has more than earned his keep at protecting Jimmy Garoppolo’s blindside. Now it is time for the other backup offensive tackle to earn his this Sunday.
Dante Pettis
It’s no secret that the wide receivers of the 49ers haven’t done much in terms of production. However, it feels like Dante Pettis is starting to come around. Against the Rams, he made some big time catches to move the chains for a chunk of yards. That is something that can motivate him to keep him going.
I’d say that he has a little momentum riding into Sunday against Washington. He could very well put up some solid numbers because the secondary of Washington isn’t that great. Deebo Samuel has not participated in practice this week so far, which makes his availability on Sunday in doubt.
That means that Dante Pettis should garner a lot of the targets on Sunday from Jimmy Garoppolo.
He’ll be a player of interest because he is the most capable of all the receivers to have a breakout game. The 49ers really need someone from that position to establish themselves. Eventually, there is going to be a game that the 49ers need to rely on their receivers. What better time for Pettis to explode than with Samuel out and against a questionable secondary.
Solomon Thomas
It’s hard to argue that last week against the Rams wasn’t Solomon Thomas’ best game as a 49er. Thomas is finally seeing his usage skewed as an inside rusher. Something that should’ve been done long ago and we are seeing why.
Through each game, Thomas has seen an increase in his Pro Football Focus grade.
He is making an impact in his limited action, which is the last thing the opposition wants. If Thomas can continue to emerge has a lethal pass rusher, then the 49ers will have broken the league. Some teams will have to file a petition to break them up because they are so overpowered. Watching Solomon Thomas in this game is key.
How will he respond coming off one of his best games as a 49er?
Taking some steps backs against Washington is not ideal, especially given their struggles this season. Thomas is finally starting to hit his stride and Sunday’s game is another opportunity for him to bolster his confidence.
