Five 49ers players to watch against Cardinals on Saturday
Let’s make this quick.We have stuff to do on Christmas Day and, frankly, there is very little intrigue remaining in the final two weeks of the 49ers’ lost season of 2020.The 49ers are 5-9 and officially out of the NFC playoff picture.Their game Saturday carries a lot of importance for their landlords, the Arizona Cardinals, who currently occupy the seventh and final spot in the conference postseason seedings.Here are the 49ers to watch in the Week 16 matchup at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where the 49ers finish the season playing five of their final six games of the season after getting kicked out of Santa Clara:
C.J. Beathard was the 49ers’ No. 2 quarterback at the beginning of his first two NFL seasons after being a third-round draft pick in 2017.
On Saturday, he will make his 11th career start and his first since the middle of the 2018 season. Nick Mullens played well enough over the last half of the ’18 season to take over as the No. 2 behind Jimmy Garoppolo.
Mullens and the 49ers received bad news earlier this week with the diagnosis of a significant elbow injury. The early indication is he could be sidelined six months after undergoing surgery.
Beathard will take over as the 49ers’ quarterback to finish the season. Beathard will focus on making good decisions, getting the ball out quickly and having fun. But these games could be important for his NFL future. He is scheduled for unrestricted free agency after this season.
D.J. Jones is one of the many 49ers’ defensive players who is coming up on the end of his contract. Ordinarily, Jones would not see a lot of playing time against a team that will feature multiple-receiver sets to force the 49ers into their nickel defense for most of the game.
But with the 49ers’ evaporating depth on the defensive line, Jones will have an opportunity to start and play all three downs. He is a strong run defender. But he also has some pass-rush skills. This will be a big chance for Jones to show what he can do as a pass-rusher, too.
He said he wants an opportunity next season to be a starter — regardless of where he ends up. He will unquestionably get that chance. The question is whether the 49ers will be able to keep him around. Jones will be tested on Saturday against the athleticism of Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Despite missing three games this season, Brandon Aiyuk is having one of the best years for a rookie wide receiver in franchise history.
Aiyuk, the No. 25 overall pick in the draft, has 59 catches for 733 yards and five touchdowns. He is just 194 yards behind Jerry Rice’s team rookie record of 927 yards.
Aiyuk is averaging 66.6 yards receiving per game (94.7 yards per game in his past six games). Rice averaged 57.9 yards per game in 1985, his first season in the NFL.
Aiyuk says he has only recently started to feel comfortable in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. It shows. He is getting better and better.
Veteran cornerback Jason Verrett was forced out of the 49ers’ Week 15 game against the Dallas Cowboys due to a non-COVID-19 illness.
Ahkello Witherspoon started in his place and played very well. Emmanuel Moseley is back after being sidelined or limited due to a hamstring injury.
Richard Sherman is not expected to play the final two weeks of the season due to calf injury. These games are big for Verrett, Witherspoon and Moseley. Each is scheduled for free agency after the season.
The 49ers are likely to make a strong push to re-sign Verrett. Witherspoon probably needs a fresh start with another franchise, so these games will be important for him to put together some good film for the rest of the league. Moseley will be a restricted free agent, and the 49ers will definitely want him back.
All eyes at all moments will be on tight end George Kittle, as he makes only his seventh appearance of the season. Two of those games ended with him sustaining injuries that forced him out of action for multiple weeks.
Kittle has not played since Nov. 1, when he sustained a fractured cuboid bone in his foot. The foot has healed, and Kittle looked impressive in two weeks of practice to earn the right to return to action. When coach Kyle Shanahan asked him on Thursday if he wanted to play, Kittle answered, “Hell, yes.”
Kittle is not expected to see his usual workload. But you can be sure Beathard, his former Iowa teammate and close friend, will be looking early and often for No. 85.
