NFL Week 4: San Francisco 49ers vs. LA Chargers Preview

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NFL

Week 4 Preview: San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Chargers

For one of the more interesting matchups of Week 4, the San Francisco 49ers will head south to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. Sunday’s game should make for a great West Coast matchup, with both teams looking to improve their 1-2 records with a much-needed win. The Chargers enter the game as solid favorites, especially with the 49ers still reeling from critical injuries.

The worst of the Niners’ injury problems, of course, is the loss of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a season-ending ACL tear. The 49ers and Chargers last met in September of the 2017 season, with the Niners winning 23–13.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers struggled on both sides of the ball in the first half of last week’s matchup with the Chiefs. The Niners offense wasn’t firing, and the defense couldn’t hold the Chiefs out of the end zone. The Chiefs scored on each of their first five drives. The second half saw some changes, with the 49ers stacking on points and finally stopping the Chiefs offense.

Newly-appointed starting quarterback CJ Beathard will need to step up and improve on his limited performances from last season. With such a long season ahead for the Niners, Beathard will need to bring the leadership and confidence that goes with being a good starting QB.

The offensive line is a noted improvement over the last time Beathard played, which should hopefully give him more protection and time in the pocket. If Beathard can release the ball quickly, the young quarterback should manage to take less punishment than he did in his appearances last year.

During the preseason, Beathard showed some improvement on both his short and long game. Continued work on his ball placement will only benefit Niners receivers and keep the sticks moving.

The receiving corps will need to pick up their game this week if they’re to have any chance of getting points over the Chargers. While the 49ers run game is currently the second best in the league, they have continued to struggle with passing. There have been far too many dropped balls resulting in lost yardage and missed points.

The biggest weakness of the San Francisco 49ers team at the moment is the defense. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has struggled to limit teams in scoring. The young secondary has so far failed to improve over their performance from last season. Missed tackles have been their biggest problem, with the opposition racking up some massive yardage over the previous weeks.

Injuries

First and foremost is Jimmy Garoppolo, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Running back Matt Breida is questionable after hyperextending his knee during Sunday’s game. Richard Sherman has a calf strain and is out for a couple of weeks.

Jaquiski Tartt is dealing with a shoulder injury, and Adrian Colbert has a hip injury. Both players will be assessed closer to game time. Mike Person is still questionable after injuring his knee while Joshua Garnett is not expected to play, still dealing with a toe injury.

LA Chargers

In another West Coast battle, the Chargers went down to the LA Rams last week 35–23. While the Chargers are favorites to win this week, they will need to shut down the 49ers run game.

The Chargers defense struggled to hold the Rams out for the majority of the game. They failed to apply the pressure which led to Rams quarterback Jared Goff completing 29-36 for 354 yards and three TDs. Sloppy and missed tackles plagued them, with their run defense unable to stop Rams running back Todd Gurley, who rushed for an impressive 105 yards.

Quarterback Philip Rivers completed 18-30 for 226 yards and two TDs. The veteran quarterback may have the advantage over Beathard this week, bringing his knowledge and experience to the table. Rivers has produced some good numbers over the last couple of seasons which are bound to test the 49ers.

Young receiver Mike Williams was the star on offense, with both of the team’s receiving TDs. With his great size and speed as a wide receiver, he will make a tough opponent for the struggling 49ers defense. He has averaged 17.2 yards per reception this season.

Injuries

Wide receivers Keenan Allen and Travis Benjamin are both questionable with a knee and foot injury. Joey Bosa is set to be sidelined for at least several more weeks with a foot injury. Brock Hekking is also questionable with a foot injury.

The San Francisco 49ers and LA Chargers game will air this Sunday at 1:25pm Pacific Time and 4:25pm Eastern Time.

Photo Credit: Bokehmon Master via Flickr

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