Evaluating San Francisco 49ers' Injury Situation Entering Week 4
The injury front has been a dark and dreary subject matter for the San Francisco 49ers through the first three weeks of this 2014 season.
San Francisco began the year without the services of defensive MVP NaVorro Bowman (knee), nose tackle Glenn Dorsey (biceps), right tackle Anthony Davis (hamstring) and backup center Marcus Martin (knee), among others.
Top cornerback Tramaine Brock (toe) joined the list after Week 1. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (back) and tight ends Vernon Davis (ankle) and Vance McDonald (knee) followed suit after Week 2.
Running back Frank Gore (back) replaced Kaepernick while inside linebacker Patrick Willis (wrist) joined the injury party following Sunday's loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Aside from the latter three, all those 49ers mentioned above have missed significant time this year.
Coming off consecutive losses marked by blown leads and double-digit penalty yards, San Francisco can ill afford any additional personnel setbacks. The Philadelphia Eagles have won three in a row and will in no way be intimidated by the “unfriendly” confines of Levi’s Stadium.
And with that, let’s now evaluate the 49ers' injury situation entering Week 4.
Anthony Davis, Right Tackle
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The 49ers experienced a rather unpleasant surprise when their starting right tackle landed on the injury list for Week 1.
Anthony Davis had fully recovered from offseason shoulder surgery. His streak of 64 consecutive starts since being drafted No. 11 overall in 2010 was not at risk.
Well, so much for that.
Davis injured his hamstring just before the regular season. His unexpected injury left the 49ers bereft of their anchor on the right side for the opening three weeks.
Fortunately, after seeing Jonathan Martin mostly struggle over the first few games, Davis will likely return to action in Week 4.
The 6’5”, 323-pounder hit the practice field this week for the first time this season. Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area believes he “could return to the starting lineup” when the Eagles come to town Sunday.
That’s certainly welcome news considering his backup’s play this year.
After producing a solid effort in the trenches against Dallas, Martin has fallen off the productivity train the past two weeks.
He surrendered two sacks and was a general liability in pass protection against the Chicago Bears in Week 2. He improved his pass blocking but was a relative disaster in the ground game against Arizona, earning a minus-2.3 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Davis, meanwhile, earned high positive scores in both run and pass blocking last year. He was PFF’s No. 11 right tackle and was widely considered a rising star among his positional brethren heading into 2014.
Frank Gore, who will suit up himself against Philadelphia, also expects Davis back in uniform as one of his lead blockers, per the Twitter account of MercuryNews.com’s Cam Inman.
It seems the running back savant has prescient-like abilities off the field as well.
Patrick Willis, Inside Linebacker
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The most recent entry on the 49ers' injury report had everyone in a highly agitated state earlier this week.
Well, everyone but the player himself.
Patrick Willis sat out Wednesday’s practice with a wrist ailment, per the team’s website. Maiocco confirmed the report.
Already missing the sideline-to-sideline tackling and coverage services of NaVorro Bowman, the 49ers couldn’t afford the loss of their defensive captain and other starting inside linebacker.
The Eagles' stellar running back duo of LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles and formidable tight end Zach Ertz, after all, were on the Week 4 docket.
Thankfully for all those concerned in Niners Nation, Willis assuaged the red and gold masses in short order.
The seven-time Pro Bowler returned to the practice field Thursday, per Inman of MercuryNews.com. He merely needed the assistance of a couple of wrist guards and gave the green light for Sunday’s matchup with Philadelphia.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio cited an aggravation to Willis’ hand/wrist area, but dismissed any notion of it being a “long-range problem,” according to Maiocco.
That'll elicit a gigantic sigh of relief from the 49ers faithful.
Willis, for his part, must be wary of the ever-shifty McCoy and Sproles in space while also drawing the coverage responsibility of Ertz in the red zone. This dynamic trio has been accountable for nearly half of the Eagles’ offensive touchdowns in the early goings.
Wrist guards or not, No. 52 must help put a stop to that production this week.
Tramaine Brock, Cornerback
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Tramaine Brock suffered a sprained toe during the first quarter of San Francisco’s season-opening win over the Dallas Cowboys.
He returned briefly late in the game, but has since missed the past two weeks.
And according to multiple sources, the 49ers defense will once again play without its No. 1 cornerback in Week 4.
The team’s website reports that Brock did not participate in Wednesday’s practice. ESPN’s Adam Caplan and CSN Bay Area’s Maiocco, meanwhile, both expect No. 26 to sit Sunday.
Veteran backup Perrish Cox has performed admirably in the two-plus games since Brock went down. Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee and Pro Football Focus’ astute analytics agree.
Cox has compiled one interception, one fumble recovery, four pass breakups and seven tackles in 193 total snaps. PFF currently lists him at No. 5 overall among 96 corners graded.
Forcing opposing quarterbacks into a 50.0 completion percentage and 44.4 passer rating—while surrendering nary a touchdown—certainly merit such a ranking.
As for this week’s matchup, Cox will square off against Eagles’ top receiver, Jeremy Maclin.
The sixth-year pro has notched a touchdown in each game this year, including a 68-yarder in Week 1. He also racked up 154 yards receiving against the Washington Redskins and is averaging a monster 18.5 yards per catch all told.
Cox must surely maintain that top-five level of play against Philly’s explosive wideout come 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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Vance McDonald, Tight End
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The most underrated of the Niners' injury bunch had also been quietly shining under the radar through the first two weeks of 2014.
Before exiting the Bears matchup late with a knee issue, Vance McDonald had earned a positive overall grade from Pro Football Focus. He was by far the 49ers' best blocking tight end, especially in the run game.
Respected analyst Cris Collinsworth made a point of highlighting the second-year pro’s contributions during the Sunday Night Football telecast Sept. 14.
McDonald’s absence was made readily apparent when the 49ers played the Cardinals last week. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman called only 16 designed runs compared with 44 drop-backs by Colin Kaepernick.
Notwithstanding Kaepernick’s success in the passing game, San Francisco rarely emerges victorious with that kind of disparity.
But per the reliable reporting of Matt Barrows, one of the primary impediments to the 49ers’ bread and butter on offense has likely been removed.
McDonald returned to practice Thursday after missing a day earlier. Although Barrows notes that he “did not seem to be doing as much as the other tight ends,” his limited participation still bodes well for Sunday’s matchup.
The 49ers must keep the Eagles' No. 2-ranked passing attack off the field by pounding the rock to Gore and Carlos Hyde.
A healthy McDonald, of course, will help facilitate that much-needed ball-control offense for San Francisco.
Derek Carrier will get the nod for a second straight week if McDonald can’t go in Week 4.
Vernon Davis, Tight End
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Worry not, 49ers fans. We didn’t forget about one of your offense’s most important assets.
Vernon Davis missed last Sunday’s divisional battle with Arizona. He came up limping late in Week 2 when a Bears defender rolled over his ankle.
While seemingly finding success through the air, Kaepernick’s 78.3 completion percentage and 103.3 passer rating came without any notable plays deep down the field.
Being without Davis’ 4.38-second 40-yard dash speed and general matchup-defying nature at the tight end position contributed to this deficient downfield attack.
But like many of his 49ers compatriots who came before him on this list, No. 85 will likely make his gridiron presence felt in Week 4.
Maiocco reports that Davis “practiced for a second consecutive day and appear[s] to be on pace to play Sunday.” That’s a fairly tremendous development considering he was on crutches in the not-so-distant past.
As for this upcoming showdown with Philadelphia, Davis must serve as the pass-catching X-factor for Kaepernick. The Eagles' 30th-ranked defense has allowed the most passing touchdowns (eight) and completions of 40-plus yards (four).
And based off this week’s practice reports, it seems those numbers could experience an uptick with Davis back in the fold.
All team and player statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference, ESPN and NFL.com. Advanced metrics provided by Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Joe Levitt is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, waxing academic, colloquial and statistical eloquence on the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him on Twitter @jlevitt16
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