5 Players to Watch in the 49ers' Week 2 Game at the Jets

The unexpectedly 0-1 San Francisco 49ers look to get their first win of the season on Sunday.

The unexpectedly 0-1 San Francisco 49ers look to get their first win of the season on Sunday. They’ll head to New Jersey to take on the New York Jets (0-1) in the first of two straight weeks at MetLife Stadium. 

Although a victory won’t erase all the glaring concerns that flared up Week 1, Sunday offers a chance to take out some aggression. 

The Jets are likely not a playoff team, and boast far less dynamic players than the Cardinals, but a win is a win and one would be a big step toward righting the ship. 

Here are five players to watch on Sunday: 

Brandon Aiyuk, Wide Receiver, San Francisco 49ers 

The Week 1 loss showed the 49ers’ severe deficiency of healthy outside threats. 

They signed veteran Mohamed Sanu on Tuesday, but he’s a bigger slot weapon. They’re still incredibly limited on the outside. 

First-round rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is reportedly a full-go in practice, and is set to make his NFL debut. 

Sunday won’t determine Aiyuk’s career by any means, but a poor showing might force the 49ers to go out and bring in another wide receiver. 

On the other hand, a solid performance would reignite the “Revenge Tour” and calm a lot of nerves. 

Aiyuk won’t have to do much to excite the wide-receiver-starved 49ers. Dante Pettis, Trent Taylor and Kendrick Bourne had a combined four catches for 41 yards on 11 targets. 

Fortunately for Aiyuk and the 49ers, there’s a drastic drop-off in competition. Rather than face Byron Murphy and three-time All-Pro corner Patrick Peterson, Aiyuk will draw Bless Austin or Pierre Desir. 

Buffalo receivers Stefon Diggs (8/9 for 86 yards) and John Brown (6/10 for 70 yards and a touchdown) dealt the brunt of their damage on short routes. 

With no preseason to shore up tackling, Aiyuk has a leg-up. Already considered a great YAC (yards after catch) receiver, Aiyuk should have the edge on Austin in particular, who missed three tackles in Week 1. 

Ahkello Witherspoon (or Dontae Johnson), Cornerback, San Francisco 49ers 

There were already a lot of questions surrounding the 49ers’ cornerback situation. Things got worse with the injuries of Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett and Ahkello Witherspoon. 

That leaves just Emmanuel Moseley healthy among the top-four outside corners. The 49ers made a slew of moves in order to combat the injuries. 

They promoted Dontae Johnson from their practice squad, brought in Miami PS corner Ken Webster, and signed Brian Allen and Christian Angulo to their PS. 

Given the sudden lack of depth, it’s entirely possible all four are active on Sunday. 

Witherspoon (concussion) participated in no-contact drills at practice on Thursday and would be the first choice to start. 

If active, it would provide a chance to exorcise his 2019 demons. Witherspoon’s last extensive action came in the postseason, when Diggs, then with Minnesota, torched him for a long touchdown. 

New York’s best two outside threats are Breshad Perriman and Chris Hogan, two receivers who have their own defficiencies. 

But Perriman runs a sub-4.3 40-yard dash. One false move by Witherspoon, and Perriman can go the distance. 

In the event Witherspoon and Verrett are out, Johnson would be the most likely replacement. 

Because the 49ers are fresh off losing due to a communication lapse, Johnson should get the nod over the newcomers given his knowledge of the system and communication calls. 

Marcus Maye, Safety, New York Jets 

Former Jets’ safety Jamal Adams was a hot commodity this offseason. Although plenty pinned the 49ers as a no-brainer match, they opted to focus elsewhere. 

Adams might be gone, but that doesn’t mean the Jets are without an exciting young safety. Marcus Maye is now the captain of the Jets’ defensive backfield. 

He’s no Adams, but he’s still a playmaker capable of taking a big leap in a contract year. 

Maye is a versatile weapon who can make just as big of a dent in the run-game as in pass defense. 

With an injured 49er receiving corp, the Jets might be able to pull Maye out of coverage more often and let him focus on making plays at the line of scrimmage, which he did at volume Week 1. 

In the 27-17 loss to Buffalo, Maye led the Jets in tackles (10), had two pass deflections, a forced-fumble of Josh Allen, two sacks, and graded 84.6 on PFF. 

Another interesting tidbit was that 49er safety Marcell Harris manned the Florida Gators’ secondary with Maye from 2014-16. 

Chris Herndon, Tight End, New York Jets 

Just like their opponents, the Jets enter Week 2 banged up. Le’Veon Bell was placed on injured reserve after Week 1, and top receiver Jamison Crowder (hamstring) might miss the game. 

Both Bell and Crowder are talented pass-catchers, with Crowder being quarterback Sam Darnold’s go-to security blanket. 

That limits Darnold a fair amount. Perriman remains the deep-threat, but who will move the chains if Crowder is inactive? The only real option is tight end Chris Herndon.  

Herndon trailed only Crowder in both targets (seven) and receptions (six) Week 1. 

This puts pressure on the 49ers’ back seven. Herndon makes his money by picking holes in coverage to get first downs. 

He missed all but one game in 2019 with injury and suspension, but in his rookie 2018 season, Herndon caught 39 of 56 targets for 25 first downs and 502 yards. 

Kwon Alexander, Fred Warner, Jaquiski Tartt, and Jimmie Ward must keep their zones tight to limit Herndon. 

He likely won’t have a lot of yards, but a few drive-extending catches are enough to make an impact. 

Frank Gore, Running Back, New York Jets 

With Bell out, 16-year veteran Frank Gore should draw the start. He’s not the back he was in San Francisco, but he averaged four yards a carry (six rushes for 24 yards) Week 1. 

This pick has little to do with the actual game but Gore is still a favorite among 49ers fans. In 10 seasons (including eight playoff games), Gore amassed 11,719 rushing yards and 80 total touchdowns. 

Gore is a franchise legend and this might be the last time 49ers fans get to see him play. 

Enjoy it. 

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