Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports


Panthers vs. 49ers: 5 matchups to watch for San Francisco in Week 8

Oct 27, 2019 at 7:32 AM


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.

The San Francisco 49ers will look to keep their unbeaten streak alive against the visiting Carolina Panthers in Week 8. And to do so, the Niners will need to win these key matchups.


Week 8's contest between the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers is going to be a statement game for whichever team walks away with the win. At 6-0, the Niners are facing arguably their toughest challenge yet, as the 4-2 Panthers have ridden the hot hands of quarterback Kyle Allen, who has yet to toss an interception since taking over starting duties in Week 3, and running back Christian McCaffrey, who is squarely in the MVP race after accumulating 923 yards from scrimmage this season.

Yet Carolina's defense has also been effective this season, particularly against the pass. Head coach Ron Rivera's squad actually leads the NFL with 27 sacks, whereas San Francisco's top-ranked pass defense has just 20 quarterback takedowns.

Both teams have injury concerns, too, which makes this bout all the more interesting. But if the 49ers expect to walk away with their seventh victory of the season, they'll need to win the majority of notable matchups against a Panthers squad coming off its bye week.

Here are five to look at this Sunday.

Kwon Alexander vs. Christian McCaffrey


McCaffrey's dual-threat capabilities make him a unique commodity to handle this season. As a runner, McCaffrey is averaging 4.9 yards per rush, which could present a problem for a Niners defense which has been gashed on the ground early in games the past two weeks. On the positive side, McCaffrey isn't quite as dangerous when he's not allowed to get into space, so those interior runs San Francisco saw in Weeks 6 and 7 against the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins, respectively, may not be as common.

But when McCaffrey does get outside, especially in the receiving game, he's more than dangerous. Averaging nearly 51 receiving yards per game, McCaffrey is a dangerous pass-catching weapon out of the backfield.

One of the primary 49ers defenders responsible for containing him in this area is linebacker Kwon Alexander, who ranks second on the Niners defense with 30 tackles and third with four pass breakups. It's likely defensive coordinator Robert Saleh gives McCaffrey extra attention than just one defender, but Alexander's efforts here need to be on point.

49ers Defensive Line vs. Panthers Offensive Line


Allen has yet to toss an interception on the season, but he has fumbled six times. And this is something San Francisco's upgraded defensive line has been able to exploit, as the team is averaging 1.5 forced fumbles per game on the year so far.

If McCaffrey is contained, Allen will likely be facing a lot of pressure in a matchup leaning heavily in the 49ers' favor. Just check out the difference between the Niners D-line and the offensive line Carolina is expected to put up in Week 8, courtesy of Pro Football Focus' Jeff Deeney:


San Francisco has surrendered an average of just 133.5 pass yards per game, which ranks best in the league. Based off this particular matchup, the trend should continue.

Matt Breida, Tevin Coleman vs. Panthers Run Defense


The Panthers also have an excellent pass defense, averaging just 5.1 pass yards against per play, which ranks third best in the league. But Carolina is vulnerable against the run, giving up 4.7 yards per rush, which ranks 23rd.

One would expect head coach Kyle Shanahan to keep with the trend of featuring a run-first offense, particularly against Carolina and its solid pass defense. So it's likely running backs Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman will see a lot of action in Week 8. The problem, though, is San Francisco will still be without fullback Kyle Juszczyk (knee), right tackle Mike McGlinchey (knee) and most likely starting left tackle Joe Staley (fibula), although there's an outside chance Staley suits up Sunday.

San Francisco's ground game has netted a combined 232 yards rushing the past two weeks, albeit averaging just 3.4 yards per carry during this two-game stretch.

George Kittle vs. Shaq Thompson, Eric Reid


As much as the 49ers would love to pound the ball against a suspect Panthers run defense, there are going to be times when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be asked to make some key deliveries through the air, hopefully cutting down on his average of one interception tossed per game.

Despite picking up wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders earlier in the week, tight end George Kittle is still San Francisco's No. 1 pass-catching threat. Even if he's not impacting the stat sheet directly, Kittle being able to draw coverage away from other receivers, such as Sanders, will be vital to the Niners' passing offense.

Kittle has a tough matchup at hand, as he'll frequently find himself covered by Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson and strong safety Eric Reid, the latter looking forward to a "grudge match," of sorts, against his former squad.

Carolina has done a good job this season of defending the middle of the field, meaning Kittle won't have an easy day in Week 8. If he's opening up more chances for San Francisco's other pass catchers, though, it'll be worthwhile.

49ers Offensive Line vs. Panthers Pass Rush


The Niners have made a name for themselves this season, thanks largely to one of the best defensive lines in the league. But Carolina also boasts a stout defensive line and pass rush, too.

EDGE Mario Addison currently leads the Panthers defense with 6.5 sacks. The rookie, EDGE Brian Burns, is coming into his own with 4.5, ranking second for the Panthers.

But the net of 27 sacks means Addison and Burns aren't the only ones up front for Carolina capable of getting home to opposing quarterbacks. Garoppolo will need to get the ball out quickly on Sunday, and San Francisco's patchwork offensive line will need to maintain some serious pass-blocking efficiency in order to keep its quarterback upright.

The 49ers and Panthers kick off at 4:05 p.m. on Oct. 27 from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
  • Written by:
    Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.


0 Comments

  • No Comments

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News



49ers vs. Giants: How to watch, stream, and listen to the Week 3 matchup

By Site Staff
Sep 19

The San Francisco 49ers return for their first home game of the 2023 season as they host the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium on Prime Video's Thursday Night Football. This matchup marks the 43rd in a series that is tied 21-21. The 49ers lead the all-time series at home against the Giants 12-10 and look to earn their second win against the team in four seasons. Previous game The Niners are coming off a 30-23 victory against the Los Angeles Rams. RB Christian McCaffrey led the offense with 116 rushing yards and one touchdown on 20 attempts, while WR Deebo Samuel added 63 receiving yards on six catches to go along with an 11-yard rushing touchdown. QB Brock Purdy completed 17 of his 25 passing attempts for 206 yards and scored a one-yard rushing



Brock Purdy, Steve Wilks, Chris Foerster preview 49ers-Rams Week 2 matchup

By Site Staff
Sep 14

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, and offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster spoke with reporters after Thurday's practice, as the team prepares for its Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Here is everything they had to say. Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff. QB Brock Purdy One play from last week, the second-and-eight play in the second quarter, you're up right around midfield and you saw [Pittsburgh Steelers S] Minkah [Fitzpatrick] coming off the edge. I don't know if you surprised him, but you kind of spun away from it and you found WR Deebo Samuel. What was your recollection on that play? Did you fool him with your



John Lynch shares impressions from Week 1; Jets didn't call 49ers about Sam Darnold

By David Bonilla
Sep 15

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Friday morning for his weekly radio interview. He was asked about the team's season opener this past weekend in Pittsburgh, a 30-7 win over the Steelers. It seemed like a near-perfect outing for the Bay Area football team. Still, on Monday morning, head coach Kyle Shanahan was quick to point out the flaws in the rout of the Steelers to his squad. "We were far from perfect," Lynch said on the "Murph and Mac" show. "I think one of the great things, to beat a good football team handily, and then go back and see that we're not even close to where we can be and where we need to be to play our best ball. That's an encouraging thing, and was real proud of our group. "I thought Kyle and his staff



Analyst: 49ers QB Brock Purdy still not top-20 after Week 1

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Sep 15

It's safe to say that the San Francisco 49ers cruised to victory in Week 1, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-7 in a dominant victory where the team started the game with four consecutive scoring drives and five straight three-and-outs, creating an early 20-0 lead for the road team. Offensively, the 49ers saw strong performances from running back Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who caught all eight of his targets for 129 yards and two touchdowns, and Deebo Samuel, who caught five passes for 55 yards. But, the offense was executed at a very high level, at least in the first half, courtesy of quarterback Brock Purdy, who had one of the stronger halves of his career over the first 30 minutes in


Featured

More by Peter Panacy

More Articles

Share 49ersWebzone