Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in the 49ers' Week 10 Contest with the Saints

The San Francisco 49ers visit the New Orleans Saints on Sunday seeking a response after suffering back-to-back losses for the second time in the 2014 season.

Jim Harbaugh's club are well familiar with their opponents, having faced the Saints in each of the last three campaigns, beating them in dramatic circumstances in the 2011 NFC Divisional Round before doing the same in the 2012 regular season.

Last term saw the Niners defeated 23-20 by New Orleans in the Superdome, and San Francisco faces a tough task in avenging that loss against a Saints team that has dismantled the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers in the last two weeks and is particularly strong in front of their home fans in Louisiana.

In this meeting of two well-matched 4-4 teams keen to hit form and a make run toward the postseason, it is the individual matchups that could well decide the outcome of what will likely be viewed as a must-win game for the 49ers.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the most crucial matchups in this potentially exciting Week 10 clash.

Anquan Boldin vs. Keenan Lewis

It has been a subpar season for a Saints defense which had high expectations going into the campaign.

The secondary in particular has been shredded throughout 2014, with starting cornerback Keenan Lewis so far failing to build on a promising first season with the Saints.

Lewis is ranked at a lowly No. 64 among all corners in the NFL by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and has given up three touchdowns while in coverage in 2014. However, he was one of the stars last Thursday as the Saints defense throttled the Panthers in a 28-10 success.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers man shut down the Panthers' impressive rookie wide receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, who had put up at least 50 receiving yards in five games this season heading into the Week 9 contest, holding him to just two receptions for 10 yards despite the Florida State product being targeted 10 times by quarterback Cam Newton.

After keeping Benjamin at bay, Lewis will now face another ex-Florida State player in the form of Anquan Boldin.

The 34-year-old Boldin is once again proving to be the Niners' most dependable receiver and is on pace for a second 1,000-yard season with 45 catches for 540 yards and two touchdowns.

With Boldin and Lewis both standing at 6'1", the latter may be confident of taking Boldin out of the game after clamping down on Benjamin, who is four inches taller, but he cannot afford to get complacent against a player who consistently comes through in the clutch.

A physical route-runner who excels in coming down with contested catches, Boldin has the veteran experience to take advantage of a corner like Lewis, whose form can at best be described as "inconsistent." For a 49ers offense that struggled to get anything going in last Sunday's 13-10 loss to the St. Louis Rams, that could prove to be pivotal.

Jimmie Ward vs. Brandin Cooks

In contrast to the form of the Saints secondary, the back end of the 49ers defense has actually performed to a high standard in 2014. 

San Francisco is ranked at No. 2 in the NFL in pass coverage by PFF, but one player who is still getting grips with life in the pros is rookie nickel corner Jimmie Ward, who has had a rough start to his career at the top level of the game. 

Ward—a converted safety out of Northern Illinois—gave up three touchdowns to Brandon Marshall as the Chicago Bears fought back to beat the 49ers 28-20 in Week 2 and also struggled to contain John Brown a week later in a 24-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Improvements have been made since those two dreadful showings, but Ward figures to be severely tested by fellow rookie Brandin Cooks. The former Oregon State star had his best performance of the season two weeks ago against Green Bay, catching six balls for 94 yards and a touchdown, and will hope for a similar impact this weekend.

New Orleans will likely deploy the diminutive Cooks, who possesses a frightening blend of speed and agility, in the slot to test Ward with his pace, although injuries to Kenny Stills and Robert Meachem—the latter of whom missed practice on Thursday—could potentially see him moved to the outside.

Ward is far from a slow corner but lacks the top-end speed of Cooks, meaning that the New Orleans wideout should be confident of creating separation and further developing his growing rapport with quarterback Drew Brees.

Cooks is quickly becoming a dangerous option in the passing game for a premier signal-caller who already has plenty of weapons to choose from. Simply put, Ward needs to keep Cooks under wraps if San Francisco are to end their latest losing run.

Aaron Lynch vs. Terron Armstead or Bryce Harris

With outside linebacker Aldon Smith not permitted to return from his nine-game suspension a week early, the 49ers' pass rush will be without its most dangerous player for yet another game.

Smith will feature in Week 11 when the Niners take on the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, but his absence for this weekend's game places extra pressure on a pass rush that has consistently failed to deliver in 2014.

Through nine weeks, San Francisco has posted just 13 sacks. However, they do still have a substantial threat off the edge in rookie linebacker Aaron Lynch.

Fifth-round pick Lynch came to the 49ers with character concerns and doubts over his work ethic but is enjoying a superb maiden season in the NFL, impressing many with his ability to consistently pressure the opposing quarterback.

NFL.com

Lynch was responsible for the Niners' only sack of Austin Davis last Sunday, his second of the season. According to PFF, he has racked up 13 quarterback hurries.

It is clear at this point that without Smith the 49ers' pass rush lives and dies with Lynch, who lines up on the left side of the Niners' nickel defense. However, an injury to Dan Skuta could press him into three-down service on the right side of San Francisco's base 3-4.

Skuta did not practice on Thursday due to an ankle injury, leaving Lynch as the primary candidate to take on the majority of his workload. Should that be the case, Lynch then faces a tough matchup with Saints left tackle Terron Armstead, who has allowed just one sack this season and is ranked at No. 10 among all tackles by PFF.

For the Niners it would be more favourable to have Skuta in the lineup and allow Lynch to continue in his current role of specialist rusher, particularly with the participation of New Orleans right tackle Zach Strief in doubt.

Like Armstead, Strief has conceded only one sack in 2014, but after missing practice for consecutive days he could well be replaced by swing tackle Bryce Harris.

Going up against the third-year undrafted free agent would undoubtedly present a better matchup for Lynch, but regardless of who he is facing come Sunday, it is imperative that he wins the battle to get pressure on Brees and prevent the Niners from being picked apart.

Mark Ingram vs. 49ers' run defense

What has made the Saints' offense doubly dangerous in recent weeks is the return of running back Mark Ingram, who has provided New Orleans with a consistent threat in the ground game.

The 2009 Heisman Trophy winner has ripped off consecutive 100-yard games in the last two weeks after making his comeback from a broken hand that forced him to miss three games, totaling 272 and three touchdowns in the wins over Green Bay and Carolina.

What should not be forgotten, though, is that those performances came against the Packers' worst run defense in the league and a Panthers' unit ranked at No. 26 in the NFL against the rush.

Ingram's showing in Carolina does not look as impressive when you consider that he ran the ball 30 times and averaged just 3.33 yards per carry, numbers that will not strike any fear into a 49ers defense that is No. 5 against the run in the league, allowing only one 100-yard rusher in 2014.

	Carries	Yards	YPC	TD
DeMarco Murray	22	118	5.3	1
Matt Forte	12	21	1.7	0
Andre Ellington	18	62	3.4	0
LeSean McCoy	10	17	1.7	0
Jamaal Charles	15	80	5.3	0
Tre Mason (Week 6)	5	40	8	0
Ronnie Hillman	14	74	5.2	2
Tre Mason (Week 9)	19	65	3.4	0

San Francisco's defensive front, featuring experienced 3-4 ends Justin Smith and Ray McDonald and anchored by nose tackle Ian Williams, presents an intimidating challenge for any opposing tailback, although the likely absence of inside linebacker Patrick Willis may give Ingram hope of penetrating this unit and getting to the second level.

Heading into the game nursing a shoulder problem, the expectation will be that Ingram will become the latest in a long line of running backs to be frustrated by the 49ers' stout run defense. Should that scenario play out, then San Francisco will be in a good position to key in on Brees and slow down the Saints' prolific offense.

Greg Roman vs. Rob Ryan

Perhaps the person with the most pressure on their shoulders going into this encounter is 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

Roman's play-calling was heavily questioned as the Niners failed to punch the ball in from inside the two-yard line in the final seconds of their shock setback against the Rams. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick fumbled the ball as he attempted to cross the goal line on a sneak, handing the win to St Louis.

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press/Associated Press

Roman's decision not to use running back Frank Gore down in the red zone was a highly contentious one and has led to questions concerning the offensive identity of a team that has seemed more concerned with developing the passing game rather than basing the game plan around their all-time leading rusher and his exciting rookie deputy, Carlos Hyde.

In a meeting with a defense ranked at No. 10 in the league in stopping the run, it figures to be a challenge for Roman to stay committed to the ground game, especially given the frailty of the Saints' secondary.

But Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will not have missed the 49ers' failings in pass protection in Week 9, which saw San Francisco give up eight sacks to a Rams team that had posted just six going into that contest. 

Expect Ryan, whose group has 17 sacks on the year, to bring the pressure to disrupt Kaepernick, who is still far from the polished pocket passer that the Niners maybe hoped he would be by this stage in his NFL career.

One of the best ways to combat an aggressive defense is with misdirection, and with arguably the league's best dual-threat quarterback at the helm of the offense, the 49ers have one of the best exponents of a craft which they have not used to full potential in 2014.

The 49ers' return to prominence has been built around the running game with Gore and the misdirection of the read-option, which has been conspicuous by its absence from the San Francisco game plan this season. Victory over the Saints may hinge on Roman's ability to put together an approach capable of outwitting Ryan's likely attack-minded defense and based around the Niners' well-established strengths.

All statistics courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise stated. Injury report information courtesy of SB Nation.

Nicholas McGee is a San Francisco 49ers Featured Columnist based in Leeds, England. Follow him on Twitter @nicholasmcgee24.