Week 5 Game Preview: 49ers @ Panthers

By Scooter_McG

Coming off the back of a dominant win at home against the division rival Rams, the now 2-2 49ers begin a two game road trip against east coast teams this week. 

First up the 49ers face the 1-3 Panthers who "boast" an NFL worst offense in terms of yards per game, largely due to the struggles of new QB Baker Mayfield who is only completing around 55% of his passes and has only surpassed 200 yards passing once this season (in week 1, and then only just). The 49ers meanwhile boast the top ranked defense in the NFL in terms of both yards and points allowed, including an average of a tick over 160 passing yards allowed per game.

The 49ers offense has had its own struggles and while it should be expected that the 49ers defense can contain the Panthers attack, the 49ers will still want to see their offense control the game and take advantage of their opportunities, to build on some of the solid foundation they laid against the Rams. 

Here are some of the key areas I see deciding this one:   

• Stop CMC. Given the Panthers struggles passing the ball this should be a great opportunity for the 49ers defense to maintain their strong defensive start to the season. However, to do so they will need to make sure they corral the the Panthers do-everything offensive weapon Christian McCaffrey, who not only leads the Panthers rushing attack but is also their leading receiver (in terms of catches). Injuries to DTs Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw will test the depth of the 49ers defensive interior and the ability of their replacement to fill the gap could be the biggest key to the 49ers success this week. 
• Bake-Off! Baker Mayfield has struggled with his decision making as well as a lot of batted passes, which should provide plenty of opportunities for the 49ers DL to pressure him and for the 49ers back seven to get their hands on the football. Mayfield's play has seen the Panthers boo-boys come out early this season with Sam Darnold waiting in the wings once he is fit enough to return to action. The 49ers need to make sure the pressure to replace Mayfield only intensifies after this weekend. 
• Ground and Pound. On offense, the 49ers appear to have a favourable matchup against the Panthers run defense which is ranked 25th in the NFL in terms of yards allowed. The 49ers running game has been in a bit of a funk since Trey Lance got injured and this could be an opportune game to get everyone in sync and spark the run game. 
• No Jimmy Gimme's. The Panthers defense has done a good job turning turnovers into points this year, with two defensive TDs in four games. With the 49ers offense yet to hit its stride they can ill afford to make things harder on themselves by being loose with the ball when in possession and giving the Panthers unnecessary opportunities to cause the upset. I expect the 49ers to employ a similar game plan to last week, with JG focusing on short passes to the playmakers supplementing the run game. 

Aside from the keys to victory, some things I will be keeping an eye on/ interested in are:   

• Last week Spencer Burford and Daniel Brunskill rotated at RG, as Brunskill saw his first action coming back from injury. We also saw LT Colton McKivitz go down with an injury, with Jaylon Moore coming in. I will be interested in seeing what the starting line-up along the OL is this week and whether there is any rotation again. The injuries and shuffling along the OL is also a good reason why I expect the 49ers to keep things pretty conservative in the passing game again this week.
• Jimmie Ward and Jason Verrett's practice windows were opened this week as they return from IR. It is unclear at this stage whether either player will officially be activated for the game this week. It will be interesting to see if either player is and, if so, what role they play. To be honest though I expect both players will not be activated for a couple of weeks yet.