Reuben Foster was among the most efficient tacklers during Week 9, according to Pro Football Focus. Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals was just the third of his rookie season and the first that he finished without a game-ending injury. Foster was officially credited with 13 total tackles and an assist in the game. Despite still being hampered by a high-ankle sprain, Sunday was the type of game fans have envisioned since the exciting player was drafted by the 49ers in April.
Foster was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded player of the game, and the analytics site had the following to say about the linebacker's performance on Sunday:
"Foster's athleticism and explosiveness was on display, as he often beat the blocker assigned to him and attacked the ball. Foster and Peterson were going toe to toe on downhill isolation runs all day and it was fun to watch."
On Thursday, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was asked to analyze Foster's performance against the Cardinals.
"Like all rookies, there's a couple of things that I'm sure he wishes he had back," Saleh said. "He showcased the playmaking ability that we all recognized in college. He played fast, he was physical, he had a couple of really great tackles in the open field on [Adrian Peterson], some great tracking angles, did a great job communicating with Eric Reid and Brock (Coyle) in the box.
"He showed a lot of his skillset. For him to get through the game was awesome. He's always going to have a little flare-up on that ankle – the high-ankle sprain. Just natural with a high-ankle sprain but for him to come back in the game and play the way he did, I'm excited for him moving forward to see if we can continue to grow from it."
Following Sunday's game, head coach Kyle Shanahan was the first to share that the high-ankle sprain Foster sustained during a Week 1 contest against the Carolina Panthers might continue to bother him for the remainder of the season.
"I know [Foster] went down that one time in the game," Shanahan said. "Just some lingering effects of his high-ankle sprain which I think will probably continue to bother him throughout the year, but I was glad to see him come back and finish it."
Foster also suffered a rib injury during a Week 7 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, which forced him to miss the 49ers' next game. He was a full participant during the team's practice on Wednesday.