6 49ers who need to step up to beat the Arizona Cardinals

One is obvious.

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The San Francisco 49ers are at a crossroads with a massive division game that may determine if they are contenders or pretenders. The team is going to need big performances from a few key starters if they want to walk out of Arizona with a sweep of their division rivals. 

Ben Bartch 

Ben Bartch played about one-third of the snaps in his return to the lineup against the Los Angeles Rams. The defense is not going to win many games moving forward so the offense has to be at its best every week. If they want to hit their ceiling, it involves Bartch playing all of the snaps and doing it well. 

Connor Colby started his first career game for the 49ers the last time they met with Arizona. It did not go well. Bartch playing a full game guarantees the offensive line looks better this time around. 

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Brock Purdy to Ricky Pearsall

Welcome back to the lineup now, get to work. The last time we saw both of these was Week 4. After so much time off it may take a little bit of time to adjust, but the 49ers do not have the ability to wait on them.

Mac Jones was hot, and they need to upgrade from that at quarterback. Pearsall was the best wide receiver on the roster when healthy and needs to get right back into the swing. 

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Sam Okuayinonu

If the 49ers still had a healthy pass rush, and Okuayinonu was having the season that he is, there would be talk about what a great role player he is, and how he is having a strong season and doing what the team needs.

However, the injuries have made him a starter and their only reliable player to get every down work. In that role, the 49ers need more. Jonah Williams left Week 10 early and has not been healthy in practice this week. If Okuayinonu is lined up as a limited player or a backup, he really needs to show out like a starter for a game. 

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Jason Pinnock and Luke Gifford 

The Cardinals hardly run three wide receiver looks. They run multiple tight end looks at one of the highest rates in the NFL, so much so that they replaced one of their injured tight ends with a sixth lineman. 

In Week 3, the 49ers unveiled a dime look with Ji’Ayir Brown getting an extensive look. Now, Jason Pinnock is in the dime role. When he has been on the field, it has not gone well. However, because Arizona has a lineman instead of a tight end this time around, the 49ers may lean into playing base more. Still, that means Luke Gifford is getting a lot of work. 

Do not be surprised if one or both Pinnock and Gifford end up with more snaps than Upton Stout this week. The 49ers need one of them to step up.