San Francisco faces tough Carolina Defense following Bye Week
The San Francisco 49ers take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 of the NFL. The 49ers are riding a winning streak of five games and coming off a bye in Week 9. San Francisco should therefore be well rested and ready to put up some numbers on offense at home.
San Francisco will also have Mario Manningham one of their veteran wide receivers returning from injury. A lack of quality receivers with experience has hurt the 49ers all season.
A number of different issues have factored into the second season for Colin Kaepernick as the starting quarterback for the 49ers. The return of Manningham should assist Kaepernick in having more targets to throw to.
Some fans are hoping the 49ers come off their bye week and put up the numbers they did to start the season against the Green Bay Packers. However, Kaepernick has not come close to those numbers since. Since the 49ers quarterback is a dual threat to run or pass, he does not live on just his passing abilities alone.
During the team’s first 8 games, Kaepernick has passed for over 200 yards just twice – against Green Bay to start the season and in Week 6 against Arizona.
However, his running game is starting to come around. Kaepernick has rushed for 122 yards including three touchdowns over the last two games prior to the bye week.
Despite the fact the 49ers have not had depth at wide receiver, Kaepernick has made good use of the weapons on offense he has had. His two favorite targets over the first half of the season have been Anquan Boldin the veteran wide receiver and Vernon Davis his tight end. Both are No. 1 and 2 in yards receiving respectively.
With Manningham now coming back, opponents will have to worry about one more target in Kaepernick’s arsenal.
This week’s game against Carolina will be a good test or San Francisco. The Panthers have given up the fewest points this season in the NFL.
However, Carolina has only played one team of its eight opponents that currently has a winning record. That team, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Panther in Week 1.
Only seven passes for touchdowns have been allowed by the Panthers this season, while giving up just 1,766 yards passing.
Against the run, the Panthers have allowed just 633 yards on the ground, which is No. 2 in the NFL.
With a running game established early, San Francisco can stretch the field with Kaepernick rushing the ball out of the pocket and with his passing ability down the field.
Kaepernick should be able to have 275 yards in passing against Carolina. If he is able to have chemistry from the start with Manningham, that number could go even higher.
Just having Manningham on the field will make it easier for both Boldin and Davis, as defenders will have one more 49ers threat to worry about.
With two weeks to prepare for this game and the improvements to his rushing game and the additions of Manningham to throw to, Kaepernick should be very successful this weekend against the Panthers.
