The San Francisco 49ers play the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener. There are a lot of 49ers to watch in their matchup with the Seahawks.
49ers to watch: Jeff Wilson Jr.
Starting running back Elijah Mitchell was placed on the injured reserve, so Wilson Jr. steps into the starting running back role. In inclement weather, he was not impressive rushing the ball in week one against the Bears, with only 22 yards on nine carries. Hopefully, the field at Levi’s stadium will be more playable than at Soldier Field. Wilson Jr. is a player on the 49ers to watch in week two.
49ers to watch – Brandon Aiyuk
There has been a lot of talking during the offseason that Aiyuk is taking a significant step this year. He is off to a slow start in the Lance era. Aiyuk only had two catches for 40 yards and a 20-yard average per catch, but he was only targeted twice. If the 49ers want to be successful on offense, Aiyuk needs to be more involved than two times against the Seahawks.
Arik Armstead
Armstead was voted one of the captains of the 49ers and did not pay like a captain in Chicago. He only recorded only two total tackles with one tackle for loss. San Francisco needs their captain on the defensive line to be dominant on the interior defensive line and help edge rushers like Nick Bosa & Samson Ebukam.
49ers to watch – Deebo Samuel
Samuel had a decent game in week one with eight carries, 52 yards, and one touchdown, but he had a costly fumble in the red zone. In addition, the wide receiver only had two receptions for 14 yards in eight targets. Samuel is San Francisco’s most dynamic playmaker at wide receiver, and he must be more productive if the 49ers want to be considered a Super Bowl contender this season. Samuel is one player of the 49ers to watch closely against Seattle.
49ers to watch – Talanoa Hufanga
One of the few bright spots in week one, Hufanga had a great statistical game against Chicago. He had 11 tackles, nine solo tackles, two tackles for loss, and an interception. He was all over the field against the Bears. Hufanga is a 49ers player to watch against Seattle. Great safeties are born and molded to be around the football, and he is always around the ball. Talanoa Hufanga shows glimpses of football knowledge and skills like former USC Trojan and Hall of Fame NFL safety Troy Polamalu.
Trey Lance
The young 49ers quarterback will be the most critical player on the 49ers to watch against Seattle. It will be interesting to see how Lance will bounce back from a disappointing loss to Chicago in week one. An element of the game plan to monitor is how many designed quarterback runs Lance will have in week two. Also, keep an eye out to see if Lance will be able to get his playmakers, Samuel & Aiyuk, more involved in the passing game plan in inclement weather.
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