5 Players to Watch in the 49ers' Week 15 Game at Dallas
The month of reunions continues.
A week after “hosting” longtime quarterback Alex Smith, the San Francisco 49ers (5-8) travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys (4-9) at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Fans will see a slew of former 49ers, including two ex-head coaches and the team’s 2011 first round pick.
Here are five players to watch in the morning matchup:
Jeff Wilson Jr., Running Back, San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback Nick Mullens was not good last week. He turned the ball over twice, which led to 14 free points.
But Mullens’ poor play may have overshadowed another player’s turnover problems.
Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. fumbled for the second time in three games. After a turnover-free 2019, Wilson now has five fumbles in three seasons.
He’ll have to fix his problem fast, as he faces a Dallas defense that just forced three fumbles against Cincinnati.
At full strength, the 49ers would likely have given Wilson the Matt Breida treatment by burying him on the depth chart. Fortunately for Wilson, he is too important to bench.
San Francisco needs him to shoulder the load from the hobbled Raheem Mostert (ankle). Even with the fumbles, Wilson offers more upside than the ineffective Jerick McKinnon and Tevin Coleman.
This is a very winnable game. The Cowboys have the worst run-defense in the NFL, allowing 2,115 rushing yards and 118 first downs. The 49ers cannot give Dallas free points like they did Washington last week.
They must fix their turnover problems. Although Mullens has been the main culprit, Wilson cannot afford to be loose with the football.
Jason Verrett, Cornerback, San Francisco 49ers
Jason Verrett had one of the best interceptions of the season last week, as he went up and grabbed a pass away from receiver Cam Sims, who is seven inches taller.
The cornerback’s next matchup might not have the physical tools of Sims, but he is a much more polished receiver that’s in the midst of a hot streak.
Since quarterback Andy Dalton returned, Dallas receiver Amari Cooper has caught 21 of 29 targets for 287 yards and three touchdowns.
Dalton has a 112.9 quarterback rating when targeting Cooper, and has completed 35 passes for 430 yards and 24 first downs. Cooper is also the only Cowboy with more than 300 yards or multiple touchdowns (four) via Dalton.
It’s safe to say Cooper is Dalton’s go-to.
Dalton is not the best improviser, nor that mobile. If Verrett can shut down Cooper, it would force Dalton to move to second and third reads.
Dion Jordan, Defensive End, San Francisco 49ers
Just a year ago, the 49ers had one of, if not the best, defensive line in the league.
Who would have guessed a backup defensive end (Kerry Hyder Jr.), a second-year undrafted defensive tackle (Kevin Givens) and a first round bust (Dion Jordan) would make up the top three on the line the next season?
Hyder has been outstanding and leads the line, but the production from Givens and Jordan have been key.
Jordan has his limitations. He’s not a consistent pass-rusher and makes mistakes. Yet, he’s turned his late training camp tryout into a decent year off the bench.
He’s now second on the team with three sacks. He’s brought down the quarterback in his last two games playing right defensive end.
He’ll be rushing against backup left tackle Brandon Knight (48.0 PFF Grade) on Sunday.
Dallas will likely try to run the ball and control the game, but Jordan should get a few third-and-long situations where he can increase his sack-lead over his big-money collegiate teammate Arik Armstead.
CeeDee Lamb, Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys
A lot of people wanted the 49ers to go elsewhere with the pick acquired for DeForest Buckner (13th overall). One potential target was Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (my pick).
Instead of Lamb, the 49ers opted to trade back a spot, and drafted defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. They found their outside weapon later in the first round, taking Brandon Aiyuk at pick 25.
Lamb got off to a hot start with Dak Prescott at quarterback. In his first five career games, he caught 29 of 40 targets for 433 yards and two touchdowns.
But he’s seen his numbers drop significantly since Prescott’s injury as the second, third and fourth-string quarterbacks naturally struggled.
In his last four games (when Dalton returned), Lamb has 17 receptions on 24 targets for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Aiyuk on the other hand, missed most of training camp and Week 1 with a hamstring injury. He’s also missed two games in Covid protocol.
But in his past five games, he has 36 catches on 56 targets, 495 yards and three touchdowns.
The two rookie receivers will be linked for a few years as members of the stacked 2020 wide receiver class, but they’ve had quite opposite debut seasons. It will be interesting to see how they compare on Sunday.
Aldon Smith, Defensive End, Dallas Cowboys
Sunday will be defensive end Aldon Smith’s first game against the team that drafted him. He totaled 44 sacks, six forced fumbles and 81 QB hits during four active seasons with San Francisco.
This could be seen as a sentimental pick, but Smith has been surprisingly solid in his first NFL action in four years.
Smith currently leads Dallas with five sacks and 11 QB hits.
Whereas the majority of his San Francisco production came off the edge, Smith has lined up at defensive tackle a lot with Dallas. He was inside on both Tyrone Crawford’s sacks last week, and two of Dallas’ three sacks in week 12 against Washington.
Smith hasn’t had a sack since Week 8, and has just two QB hits in his past five games. But he’ll get four quarters of rushing against right tackle Mike McGlinchey and whoever San Francisco starts at right guard.
McGlinchey and the right guard combination have seen their lowlights flood the internet all season. The right tackle’s latest mishap negated a game-extending 22-yard catch by Kendrick Bourne.
Yet, Shanahan’s faith in McGlinchey has yet to waver, and the free agent-to-be Smith could be the benefactor.
Follow me on Twitter @Mavpallack
