Dad cites ‘weakness’ that may haunt 49ers in playoffs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
No NFL team has figured out how to stop the 49ers in the last 10 games, but the playoffs are a whole different beast.
And as San Francisco prepares for its first postseason game against divisional rival Seattle Seahawks on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium, 49ers radio play-by-play commentator Greg Papa noted a weakness that could end by haunting them.
“If there’s a weakness in the 49ers defense, [it’s] between tackles,” Dad said on the latest episode of “49ers Talk.” “You would want to run on the 49ers right in the middle of the defense.”
“Arik Armstead is a good running player but he’s tall so he can always have a low pad level. Javon Kinlaw struggled to play high. Look at the touchdown [the] Arizona [Cardinals] scored, consecutive plays, they ran it to 1, then they ran it into the end zone.
While the 49ers were able to stay above the Cardinals in last week’s regular season finale, Papa thinks that could be a problem against Pete Carroll and the Seahawks in wild card play.
But San Francisco is about as healthy as it could be for the playoffs.
Linebackers Dre Greenlaw (back) and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (neck), offensive lineman Aaron Banks (ankle/knee) and defensive lineman Kevin Givens (knee) were all cleared to play Saturday.
Still, if the 49ers can’t tighten up in the middle, Dad fears how things might turn out if the 49ers have a long playoff run.
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“Javon from the snap, he’s going high, they’re just pushing him out of there,” Dad said. “[The Seahawks are] firing their guards, Damien Lewis, Gabe Jackson, that’s why they’re watching the injury report on Kevin Givens, it’s so encouraging to get him back. You can move other people inside.
“I think [Carroll] going to run more between tackles, and that’s an area to watch as we progress through the playoffs. The 49ers’ defensive tackles rush to compliment the guys on the edge, but also show up in the running game and stop inside runs.”
The 49ers are hoping to add to their 10-game winning streak as they enter the playoffs and push to bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to the bay.
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