Here are five key San Francisco 49ers players to watch during the Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
Tevin Coleman (Running Back) - With a four-touchdown performance against the Carolina Panthers, Coleman had his signature game as a 49er. Tevin "Can we talk" Coleman signed with the team this past offseason to either backup Jerick McKinnon or be the starting running back. In five games, Coleman has racked up 332 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns and is showing no long-term effects from his Week 1 ankle injury.
This week, the 49ers offense, which ranks second in the league with 181 yards per game, goes up against a Cardinals defense, which is giving up an average of 131 yards rushing yards per game. In other words, Coleman is projected for another big game.
Nick Bosa (Defensive End) - Before the Cardinals signed Kliff Kingsbury to be their head coach, a lot of NFL pundits had Bosa as the number one overall pick. What happened was the Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray and the 49ers took Bosa with the second pick. Both rookies are having fairly good seasons. Bosa had a three-sack and one-interception performance against the Panthers, which helped put him in the national spotlight.
This Thursday night, the 49ers will visit the three-win Cardinals, and like last Sunday's game against the Panthers, San Francisco will see an elusive and different kind of player. The former Buckeye has seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss through seven games. The Cardinals, who rank sixth in sacks allowed with 27, will go up against a 49ers defense which ranks fourth in sacks with 27. In other words, the Cardinals upper management may question who it should have drafted.
Richard Sherman (Cornerback) - Growing up in the 90s, there have been plenty of cornerback/wide receiver matchups like Darrell Green vs Michael Irvin or Deion Sanders vs Jerry Rice. This generation's best matchup is 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman and Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald. In an article by Marcus White of NBC Sports, Sherman said the 16-year All-Pro forced him to raise his level as a rookie in 2011 when he hauled in 14 receptions for 213 yards and two scores in two games. Since then, "Sherm" is considered to be one of the best corners of all time and Fitzgerald became second all-time in receptions and receiving yards. The 31-year-old former Stanford standout may have his hands full with the 36-year-old former Pitt star, but this will be nice to watch.
Jimmy Garoppolo (Quarterback) - It is halfway through the season and outside the second half of the Redskins game, the $137-million-dollar quarterback is not the reason the 49ers won a game. Outside the Week 3 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, "Jimmy G" has either turned the ball over at a bad time or did not have the offense take advantage of turnovers. This week against Cardinals, who rank No. 29 in pass defense, is just what Garoppolo may need. The 49ers may be winning, and there is not much to ask of him, but there will be a game when the defense and running game will not be able to have him look pretty.
Justin Skule (Offensive Tackle) - Since coming in for the injured Joe Staley, the former Vanderbilt star has done well in pass protection and opening holes for the running backs. He was abused when he went up against Panthers defensive end Bruce Irvin. This Thursday, Skule may line up against future Hall of Famer Terrell Suggs. "T-Sizzle," who went to Arizona State, signed with the Cardinals after playing with the Baltimore Ravens for the past 16 years. The rookie is getting a good education on blocking All-Pro defensive linemen.