After beating the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, the San Francisco 49ers remained on the road for a Week 2 battle with the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome, and Kyle Shanahan’s team earned a 26-21 win.
San Francisco entered the game with several key players out due to injury, and in the game, they lost left guard Ben Bartch, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and cornerback Upton Stout. Despite that, they were still able to improve to 2-0 and stay atop the NFC West.
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As we comb through this Week 2 victory, there were a few 49ers who shouldn’t be thrilled with their performance and will need to put in extra effort on the practice field this week before they play again.
CB Renardo Green
New Orleans made a concerted effort to target Green early and often, as he gave up several receptions, including many in key spots that converted first downs. If he’s going to be San Francisco’s second-best cornerback, he’ll need to be much better than that.
CB Upton Stout
Like Green, Stout was targeted frequently on Sunday, allowing multiple receptions. He was also called for an illegal contact on a third-and-12 play that gave the Saints a first down and kept the drive alive that eventually resulted in a fourth-quarter touchdown. The cornerback also left the game early with an injury, and the coverage man in the slot gave up a touchdown on the next play.
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San Francisco had multiple opportunities to stop Saints running back Alvin Kamara and quarterback Spencer Rattler from gaining extra yards. However, missed tackles were a problem too often. If this were a different team, it could’ve cost them the game.
RB Brian Robinson Jr.
Given the situation, it’s hard to say many of the 49ers had bad games. Robinson ran the ball six times for 20 yards (3.3 yards per attempt). He was also part of the reason left guard Ben Bartch left with an injury, as he was rolled up on during Robinson’s carry.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Worst performances from 49ers’ gritty win vs. Saints in Week 2
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