Short-handed 49ers secondary gives Sam Darnold perfect opportunity to bounce back
While it’s hard to envision Sam Darnold playing worse than he did in Week 1, his matchup against a banged-up 49ers secondary this weekend gives him the perfect opportunity to rebound.
The 49ers will be without their No. 1 cornerback, Richard Sherman, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a calf injury. Although it was reported Wednesday that CB Ahkello Witherspoon was in the concussion protocol, he returned to practice Thursday in a non-contact jersey. In other Niners injury news, veteran CB Jason Verrett (hamstring) did not practice Thursday and his status for Sunday’s game doesn’t look promising. The 49ers also placed CB Tim Harris Jr. (hamstring string) on the practice squad IR.
Already down three or four cornerbacks, depending on Witherspoon, San Franciso signed Ken Webster off the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad and added Brian Allen and Christian Angulo to its own practice squad.
Things are already looking ominous for a 49ers secondary that struggled in their season debut against the Cardinals. Emmanuel Mosley, who figures to step into a starting role, was targeted 14 times by Kyler Murray in the 49ers’ 24-20 loss. Mosley allowed 10 receptions for 92 yards, giving up five first downs in the process.
The 49ers went from stifling opponents’ passing attacks en route to a Super Bowl run to diving deep into their depth chart in the second week of the 2020 season. Last season, the 49ers were No. 1 in the least amount of passing first downs, yards per attempt and total passing yards allowed. It will be nearly impossible for San Francisco’s current unit to replicate that production.
The Jets offense, however, will also be down a few bodies. Frank Gore is the starting running back with Le’Veon Bell hurt and Jamison Crowder’s status is uncertain after missing Thursday’s practice. If Crowder misses Sunday’s game, that leaves Breshad Perriman, Chris Hogan and Braxton Berrios as the starters.
As both teams enter an already critical junction in their respective seasons, Darnold has a chance to put his forgettable Week 1 performance aside and step up to the plate against the defending NFC Champions.
Looking back at his Week 1 play against the Bills, Darnold took accountability for his poor showing, pinpointing his dud of an outing on a lack of timing and poor footwork. While missing a handful of open targets during New York’s 27-17 loss, he also dealt with a 44.7 percent pressure rate from the Bills defensive line. That number certainly won’t get any better against the 49ers’ talented defensive front.
In addition to going 21-35 passing, throwing for 215 yards, one touchdown and one interception, Darnold also had a 19.3 QBR. Darnold went 3-11 for 69 yards on passes of more than 10 yards, with five of those 11 attempts being off-target throws, per ESPN Stats & Info.
New York will only go as far as its third-year quarterback takes it. Darnold certainly didn’t look the part in Week 1, but he has the fortune of going up against an injured defense in Week 2.
Darnold’s not going to have an ample amount of time to throw Sunday, so Gang Green’s best bet is attacking San Francisco’s secondary often and early. With the 49ers paper-thin at cornerback, Darnold has a great opportunity at getting his third season back on track, but it’s up to him to execute.
