Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Ahkello Witherspoon got his first interception of the year off Cardinals QB Kyler Murray.
Interception @ahkello! 🥄 #SFvsAZ: https://t.co/EkXl0Ka68Q pic.twitter.com/Dp9G4ejZI8
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 27, 2020
The 49ers defense was excellent Saturday, and it came up with a huge stop late against Arizona. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who allowed a 30-yard run to Kyler Murray when he bit on a fake on fourth-and-2, came up with his first interception of the year two plays later. That gave San Francisco’s offense one more chance to put the game away with a long drive.
The San Francisco 49ers were eliminated from the playoffs by a 41-33 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Who had the standout performances?
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The San Francisco 49ers last open door of relevance this NFL season have finally came to a close. Less than a year after reaching the Super Bowl, the defending NFC champs were eliminated from the postseason after a deflating 41-33 Week 15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. While many players had strong performances, critical errors in all facets of the game proved too costly to overcome.
Ahkello Witherspoon is out for the Giants, meaning the 49ers have six starters unavailable.
The 49ers’ list of inactives for Week 3 didn’t come with many surprises. They ruled out five players in Friday’s injury report. The only real question was whether cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon would suit up after appearing on the injured list as ‘questionable.’ He was on the inactives list and will not play Sunday vs. the New York Giants.
Here’s the full list of inactives:
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
RB Raheem Mostert
TE George Kittle
DE Dee Ford
LB Dre Greenlaw
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
OL Tom Compton
Witherspoon’s absence makes it so six out of seven players out for the 49ers are starters.
Jason Verrett will likely get the starting nod in his place, with Dontae Johnson and Ken Webster providing depth off the bench. For Verrett, it’ll be his first start since Sept. 11, 2017.
Here is the Giants list of inactives:
CB Brandon Williams
DB Adrian Colbert
LB TJ Brunson
OT Jackson Barton
TE Eric Tomlinson
DL RJ McIntosh
The 49ers made it official and ruled out George Kittle and Jimmy Garoppolo vs. the Giants. Ahkello Witherspoon is questionable.
The 49ers confirmed the expectations of their injury concerns going into Week 3 vs. the New York Giants. They officially ruled out six players with their Friday injury report, and listed cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon as questionable with a hamstring injury.
George Kittle and Dre Greenlaw were both ruled out by head coach Kyle Shanahan just before the injury report was released. There were no other surprises in the list of players not available Sunday.
Witherspoon popped up on the report with a ‘questionable’ tag. He was a full participant Wednesday and Thursday, but was limited Friday with hamstring tightness according to Shanahan.
Here’s the full injury report:
Out
QB Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle)
TE George Kittle (knee)
RB Raheem Mostert (knee)
RB Tevin Coleman (knee)
DE Dee Ford (back)
LB Dre Greenlaw (quadricep)
Questionable
CB Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring)
The 49ers may have to put Jason Verrett in if Ahkello Witherspoon’s struggles continue.
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Jason Verrett’s last outing with the 49ers was a disaster, and a season-ending knee injury didn’t afford him the opportunity to redeem himself. That opportunity could come Sunday at MetLife Stadium when the 49ers take on the New York Giants after cornerback Ahkello. Witherspoon struggled in Week 2 against the New York Jets.
Witherspoon against a hapless Jets squad allowed 81 yards and a touchdown on five completions while getting targeted by Jets quarterback Sam Darnold six times. It was not a good showing from the four-year veteran in his first start of the year replacing the injured Richard Sherman. The 49ers aren’t deep at corner, and Verrett serves as probably the only viable starting option aside from Witherspoon while Sherman nurses a calf ailment.
Verrett missed the first two games of the 2020 campaign with a hamstring injury he suffered in practice before the start of the season. Now he’s healthy and got strong praise Thursday from defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
“He’s been getting good reps. He looks really good. He feels really good. He’s saying all the right things. His vibe has been awesome,” Saleh told reporters in a video conference. “I’ve got to go in and watch the tape to see how today’s practice was exactly for him and obviously talk to Kyle about what the choices are and options are with regards to him on game day, but he looks good. If he can continue stacking up days, it’ll be a matter of time before he gets his opportunity.”
It’s not a lock that Verrett suits up, but signs are pointing to him being among San Francisco’s group of active players Sunday.
The last time Verrett was on the field for San Francisco was forgettable for the former first-round pick. He was the first cornerback off the bench last season when Ahkello Witherspoon went down with a foot injury in Week 3 vs. the Steelers. The first pass thrown his way resulted in a 32-yard pass interference penalty. The second one was a 39-yard touchdown. He exited the game, went on Injured Reserve for the rest of the year, and re-signed with the 49ers this offseason.
Perhaps the 49ers have seen enough good performances from Witherspoon to stick with him while Sherman is out. That would mean Witherspoon gets at least two more starts with Sherman due to return after Week 4.
With the pass rush ailing though, the 49ers can’t afford to have too many lapses in their secondary. If Witherspoon struggles out of the gate against the Giants, don’t be surprised if Verrett gets a chance to redeem himself for his rough outing last year.
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The 49ers will be without Richard Sherman and likely two other veteran cornerbacks Sunday, creating a chance for Sam Darnold 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.
Jets OT Mehki Becton (knee) was among the team’s limited participants in Wednesday’s practice, while the 49ers put CB Richard Sherman on IR.
Another day, another injury for Gang Green.
Jets rookie OT Mekhi Becton (knee) was limited in practice Wednesday. He injured himself in the Jets’ 27-17 loss to the Bills Sunday but didn’t miss a snap. Adam Gase said that the Jets will be careful with him going forward.
Jamison Crowder (hamstring) popped up on the injury report following Wednesday’s practice. Gase did not mention Crowder before practice, which likely means that the veteran wideout suffered an injury to his hamstring this afternoon. QB Joe Flacco (neck), LB Frankie Luvu (neck) and LB Avery Williamson (hamstring) joined Crowder as limited participants. There’s a chance Williamson makes his 2020 debut this weekend after missing Sunday’s opener.
As for the remainder of New York’s injuries, RB Kalen Ballage (hamstring), TE Daniel Brown (hamstring), OT George Fant (shoulder) and OL Alex Lewis (shoulder) were all full participants Wednesday.
Despite the injury bug hitting the Jets again, they might be catching a few breaks this weekend. The 49ers placed CB Richard Sherman on injured reserve with a leg injury, while his potential replacement, Ahkello Witherspoon, suffered a concussion and is in protocol, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows.
In addition, TE George Kittle (knee sprain) won’t practice this week, but San Francisco is ‘hopeful’ he will play Sunday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The San Francisco 49ers haven’t decided on a starting cornerback across from Richard Sherman.
The 49ers are just a few days away from final cuts, but they haven’t made any decisions on their open cornerback job across from Richard Sherman.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh on Thursday told reporters in a video conference that they’re still evaluating who will be their second starting cornerback on the outside.
“But, as far as the corner spot, Kyle (Shanahan), obviously, he’s heavily involved,” Saleh said. “We’re evaluating it every day and when coach Shanahan is ready to pull the trigger, he’ll pull the trigger. As of now, it’s still a work in progress.”
It’s not a surprise the 49ers are taking their time in their evaluation. While cuts are quickly approaching, all three players vying for that job figure to make the roster. Depth charts don’t have to be ironed out until kickoff of Week 1.
Emmanuel Moseley, Ahkello Witherspoon and Jason Verrett are all battling for the starting spot according to reports from camp. Witherspoon started last year, Moseley wound up finishing the season as the starter, and Verrett has been working with the first team in practices.
The 49ers are looking for a consistent option opposite Sherman after a series of up-and-down performances a season ago. Witherspoon is talented, but inconsistent. Moseley played well down the stretch, but wasn’t good enough to win the job out of camp, and Verrett has had trouble staying healthy.
Cornerback and a couple of offensive line spots are the starting jobs still really up in the air approaching the lead up to Week 1. It’s unlikely we find out the starters until closer to game day though as teams vie for maximum secrecy heading into the regular season.
Emmanuel Moseley won’t be handed a job at the top of the 49ers depth chart. Ahkello Witherspoon and Jason Verrett are in the hunt.
One of the question marks about the 49ers going into training camp was whether the starting cornerback spot opposite Richard Sherman was open. Ahkello Witherspoon and Emmanuel Moseley both started there last season, and Jason Verrett is healthier than he was at this time last year. Moseley appeared to have sewn the spot up after a strong end to last season, but defensive coordinator Robert Saleh on Tuesday in his video conference noted there’s no question — it’s a wide open competition across from Sherman.
“The corner spot opposite Sherm, obviously we’d like to see a competition over there,” Saleh said. “It is wide open, if you want to call it that. We’re just trying to give guys opportunities to go win that job. As far as it goes as Verrett is concerned, he’s been looking good. He looks a lot more comfortable. He looks a lot more confident. It’s just a matter of him getting back into the feel of it. It’s been a while for him where he’s been able to put together a full training camp. He’s off to a good start.”
Verrett earned snaps with Sherman on the starting unit during the 49ers’ second padded practice of training camp. Moseley was the starter to finish last season, and Witherspoon had the starting job to start last season. The latter two played well in different stretches while Verrett suffered an injury after only three defensive snaps.
Given the up-and-down play at the starting spot across from Sherman, an open competition in camp makes a lot of sense. While Moseley was the better option last season, his sample size was too small to lock him into the job for the 2020 season.
With each player playing on the final year of his contract — a healthy competition could be the catalyst to the 49ers once again producing the NFL’s top pass defense. They did so last year with wildly inconsistent play at one of the outside corner spots. If they get better there while returning the rest of their starting secondary — it bodes well for a defense that’s a prime regression candidate based on their historic start to last season.
The top of the cornerback depth chart was always going to be worth keeping an eye on, but Saleh dubbing it an open competition makes it perhaps the most important battle to watch for the rest of training camp.
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The 49ers probably won’t eye a cornerback in the first round of the 2020 draft.
The 49ers have a somewhat ambiguous list of needs heading into the 2020 NFL draft. There are a slew of positions where they could use help, but how they’ll prioritize those needs with two first-round picks and then none until Round 5 remains relatively unclear.
Cornerback is one position that regularly comes up near the top of the 49ers’ list of needs. It’s the second-most popular position for them in mock drafts behind wide receiver, but it’s hard to imagine the team uses early draft capital on that spot unless the value is impossible to pass up.
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The logic tracks for San Francisco adding a young, cost-effective corner. They have three players vying for two starting jobs in 2020 – Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon and Emmanuel Moseley. All three players are set to hit free agency after the 2020 season. Sherman is 32-years old, Witherspoon hasn’t been consistent or healthy enough to hold a starting job, and Moseley hasn’t proven his value over a sample size larger than a couple games.
Sherman can be penciled in as one starting corner, leaving the other spot open for Witherspoon and Moseley. If last offseason taught us anything about how the 49ers operate, it’s that they’re going to give talented players a long leash to prove themselves capable of producing. It’s why they gave Witherspoon another shot after a rocky second season. It’s also why they re-signed Jimmie Ward and stuck with Arik Armstead on the defensive line.
History indicates they’ll go into 2020 with Witherspoon and Moseley battling for the starting job across from Sherman. Their roster calculus changes a little bit if they add a highly-drafted corner to the mix. That player would be expected to start right away – especially if the 49ers use a first-round pick on them. While they may not start out getting first-team reps, they’d get every opportunity to win the starting job over Witherspoon or Moseley.
That doesn’t follow the way San Francisco built their defense a season ago, and breaking from that trend after boasting the NFL’s best defense doesn’t seem like a prudent move. Especially since Witherspoon was playing at a Pro Bowl level before a foot injury sidelined him for six games, and Moseley played well in his time replacing Witherspoon. Neither has proven to be a great player, but they’ve shown enough to get opportunities next season.
A more likely scenario in this year’s involves the 49ers taking a corner later in the draft. In the middle rounds they can scoop up a project player they believe can start down the road, but won’t necessarily threaten Moseley and Witherspoon right away. If he does, it’d just be a bonus from a middle-round selection.
It should be noted that if the front office in Santa Clara believes they’re getting a long-time Pro Bowler, All-Pro type of talent, they’ll draft a corner and start him right away and figure out the rest later. That’s not liable to happen by the 13th pick in the draft though.
The big picture shows San Francisco needs some help at corner to avoid an empty cupboard there in the future, but that assistance doesn’t need to come from a first-round pick, and history tells us it won’t.
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