The spotlight will shine bright on one 49ers player in the playoffs

This player needs to step up.

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The NFL playoffs are when players write legacies, become household names and change the course of their careers. Not many players have a better chance to do that than Jauan Jennings. 

San Francisco 49ers need Jauan Jennings to beat the Philadelphia Eagles

Things did not start great for Jennings, who dealt with injuries and only played in six of the first eight games. He had just one touchdown and 1.12 yards per route run over that span. However, things clicked from that point. He has played nine games since and has eight touchdowns with 1.59 yards per route run. 

He has stepped up to put the 49ers in this stretch. However, Ricky Pearsall did not practice on Wednesday and is a big question to play this weekend. Without him, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to lock in on Jennings. 

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If there is one thing to know about Vic Fangio, it is that he is adaptable with the way he calls his defense. Fangio has Quinyon Mitchell on the outside and Cooper Dejean in the slot. The weak point is Adoree Jackson, who is opposite of Mitchell. 

Fangio runs a style of defense that is not afraid to ask Mitchell to switch sides and follow Jennings. With Dejean in the slot, he will only follow him along the outside, but Fangio will likely force the 49ers to beat them with any receiver that is not Jennings. 

Could Kendrick Bourne and Demarcus Robinson step up and win a playoff game? Anything is possible, but it sounds improbable. 

This presents a great opportunity for Jennings. Jennings is a free agent this offseason, and everyone will be watching. If he is able to make plays while being draped by one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL it is going to become a statement moment and a chance to add a few million dollars to the price tag. 

There is also the opposite world where Jennings is shut down, the 49ers are shut out, and some look back and wonder what he will be without Kyle Shanahan calling his plays. 

It is hard to say one game will swing millions of dollars for Jennings, but there is a chance it ends up being that notable for him after such a roller coaster year. 

Either way, if you look back at the box score after the game, the number of yards that Jennings has will likely correlate to whether the 49ers won.