The San Francisco 49ers are taking on the New Orleans Saints on the road this weekend, with kickoff slated for 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.
San Francisco began their season with a 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks last weekend, riding a strong defensive performance and a late game-winning drive from Brock Purdy, with tight end Jake Tonges making an incredible third-down catch for the go-ahead score.
It’s going to be quite a different look for the 49ers this week, as Purdy is out with a turf toe-like injury,
meaning Mac Jones will make his first start for San Francisco. In addition, Trent Williams is questionable, so it could be Spencer Burford at left tackle if he can’t go.
On the other hand, the Saints may be the worst team in the NFL this year. They’ll be down safety Julian Blackmon, offensive lineman Trevor Penning, and defensive lineman Chase Young.
How can the 49ers get the job done on Sunday with Mac Jones at the helm? Here are three keys to the game for the 49ers in Week 2.
Ride CMC
With Brock Purdy and George Kittle out on Sunday, the 49ers have to go to their best playmaker for some offense.
Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers run game started a bit slow last weekend, but the running back was ultra productive at the end, totaling 142 yards from scrimmage.
Now, 32 touches isn’t the way San Francisco should go to preserve McCaffrey’s workload, but the 49ers should have more success on the ground this week after Arizona rushed for 138 yards on 5.4 yards per carry against New Orleans a week ago.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan should look to simplify things for Mac Jones, which means using McCaffrey as a receiver once again.
It should be another big day for the 49ers back as the focal part of San Francisco’s offense.
Hold New Orleans to under 100 yards rushing
The 49ers were stellar defensively in Week 1, as defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had a coaching masterclass in his return to the team.
In Week 2, it should be a similar formula, starting with the run game. The Saints rushed for 107 yards on 4.9 yards last week, but were also playing from behind for a bit of the game.
If the 49ers can slow down the Saints committee of backs and neutralize Spencer Rattler’s scrambling ability, they’ll make it much easier to tee off in the passing game.
San Francisco shut down Seattle’s rushing attack a week ago, allowing just 84 yards on 3.2 yards per carry. This is the type of game where the 49ers defense is designed to excel if they can have a similar performance, given how inefficient the Saints were in the air last week.
Feature Ricky Pearsall
Ricky Pearsall had a day last week, catching four passes for 108 yards as San Francisco’s lead receiver. However, Pearsall had two catches early and didn’t catch a pass until the 49ers’ go-ahead drive, where he had two more clutch receptions.
Pearsall has the ability to get open against man coverage. The 49ers need to just target him more as they look to build their passing game.
With Jauan Jennings also banged up, the 49ers need to find ways to get Pearsall the ball on Sunday and consistently throughout the game.
