Michael Crabtree Injury: 49ers' WR Must Make Instant Impact vs. Bengals

CSN's Matt Maiocco is reporting via Twitter that 49ers receiver Braylon Edwards will be out "for a while."

In that same report, Maiocco said that receiver Michael Crabtree will likely be active for the first time in the 2011 season.

Unfortunately for Crabtree, he will not get any time to take baby steps back into action.

Even though the 49ers aren't far from being 2-0, they haven't done much offensively. Frank Gore leads the team in rush yards with 106 while Vernon Davis leads the team with only 65 receiving yards.

Now, with no Edwards, Crabtree will not have the ability to inch his way into anything.

This is a game that the 49ers need to win. From a standings standpoint, nobody in the NFC West is going to blow away from them. At the very worst, the 49ers will be a game behind the division lead at the end of Week 3.

But this is a game that the 49ers should win. The Bengals have a lot of question marks. Even though it's always tough for West Coast teams to travel to the Eastern Time Zone and win, the 49ers need to find a way.

In both of their games, even against Seattle, the 49ers defense began to crack in the fourth quarter. They overcame that against the Seahawks but weren't so fortunate against Dallas.

A good remedy for that is for the team's offense to be more efficient. That means more production from the passing game.

Even though he leads the team in yards, Davis has not been anywhere near as dominant as the 49ers need him to be in the first two weeks.

The cure for that is for the opposing defenses to see the other receivers as a threat, thereby opening up lanes for Davis. That would also open up holes for Gore and the running game.

Crabtree needs to be an instant force. Even if it just comes in the way of drawing top defenders and not great stats, he needs to be respected on the field.

Without him, the 49ers chances of beating the Bengals are not great. If they can’t beat the Bengals, it will be a long season.