The San Francisco 49ers are inching closer to their Week 1 Australia game against the Los Angeles Rams, as both teams look to debut their prized additions from the offseason.
San Francisco is a 2.5-point underdog heading into kickoff, while the projected total of 48.5 points indicates this should be one of the higher-scoring games of the Week 1 slate.
The 49ers return a ton of star pieces, and they made several key additions this offseason, including wide receiver Mike Evans, who is all good to go for
Week 1 after dealing with a minor injury in training camp. But there are a couple of questions surrounding this team for the opener, especially after starting defensive lineman Alfred Collins tore his patellar tendon is and out for the year.
What are the biggest questions we want to see answers from in Week 1?
Who will step up on the defensive line?
Even before Collins’s injury, there were some questions about the 49ers defensive line this offseason. Without Nick Bosa, this unit ranked 32nd in sacks last year and was inconsistent against the run, ranking in the bottom half of the NFL in yards per carry allowed.
Now, Bosa’s return and the addition of Osa Odighizuwa should help the 49ers pass rush in a key way. But behind them, there were a ton of questions about the defensive line, and now their 2025 second-round rookie is out for the year.
San Francisco also won’t have Sam Okuayinonu, who broke his foot and will miss substantial time, and Mykel Williams, who remains on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after his ACL tear last year.
Collins and C.J. West were both inconsistent against the run in the preseason as well, which could be an underrated issue this team faces. And Romello Height is also dealing with a minor injury ahead of Week 1.
There’s a lot of questions the 49ers have on the defensive line, and that’s tough to deal with against arguably the best team in football.
What will the RB split look like?
The 49ers have said they want to maintain Christian McCaffrey this season, and we already saw that in training camp with him being held out of practice for soreness. But will that carry over to gamedays?
We all know how vital Christian McCaffrey is on offense and how much he changes both the run and the pass game. But the 49ers have started to invest draft capital into the position, and have two players they seem high on in the backfield behind McCaffrey.
So, against the Rams, what will the split look like, if there is any at all, and who will the 49ers trust to put on the field? Kaelon Black has received a lot of praise after a quality training camp and preseason, while Jordan James is now back and healthy.
How will left guard play out?
It’s looking likely that the 49ers will try to rotate players at left guard without a clear solution at the position. Many could see this playing out after the team elected not to invest much in the offseason, and none of the options have looked like a true starter so far through the preseason.
Carver Willis seems primed for snaps, but there likely will be a rotation to figure out the team’s best option at the position. That’s not ideal, and could end up being the top factor setting this team back on offense.
