Who will step up? Seven 49ers to watch vs. Panthers on Sunday

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The 49ers are without a few key players as they head to Carolina to face the Panthers in their Week 5 matchup.

How well their “next men up” are able to contribute will be essential in determining if the 49ers will leave Charlotte with a positive record for the first time in the 2022 NFL season.

Defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw (knee) and Arik Armstead (foot/ankle) have been ruled out. The 49ers also will be without left tackle Colton McKivitz, who had stepped in for All-Pro Trent Williams, who is rehabbing from a high ankle sprain.

How the 49ers control the trenches without those players will be a key factor in the outcome of their first of two back-to-back East Coast games. Coach Kyle Shanahan has a challenge ahead in scheming production from his offensive skill players who are playing alongside a predominantly inexperienced offensive line.

On defense, coordinator DeMeco Ryans will attempt to keep versatile Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey from making explosive plays. The All-Pro ball carrier leads Carolina in rushing, and has the second-highest receiving yards on the team.

The approach toward McCaffrey will be similar to how Ryans schemed the defense against Rams receiver Cooper Kupp in Week 4. Star players will get their touches, but Ryans wants to see their average yards per play kept to a minimum and away from the end zone.

“Christian, he still has juice, man. He still has a lot of juice,” Ryans said Thursday. “He’s a big-time playmaker for them. This kid is very explosive. He can find any small little crease and make [you] pay.

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"He’s great in a pass game as well, whether it’s picking up protections as a blocker and also getting out in the screen game. He’s just all over the field and an explosive player, so we have to have extra eyes on him the entire game because he can definitely make you pay if you’re not on it and you’re not ready.”

Here are seven players to watch in the 49ers' matchup at Carolina:

LT Jaylon Moore

Now tasked with protecting Jimmy Garoppolo’s blind side, Moore has huge shoes to fill. The second-year swing tackle had a challenging first outing of the season in the 49ers' Week 3 loss to the Broncos, allowing one sack and one hit in four pass-blocking plays.

Run game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Foerster shared that the young lineman was caught off guard when called upon to play. The Western Michigan product had a much better outing in Week 4, and Foerster explained why.

“The previous game when Trent got hurt in Denver, that was not a good outing for Jaylon at all,” Foerster said. “Hadn’t been called on to play for a while. I think that was good -- it shook him up a little bit, too. He refocused last week, and it’s one game. He has to start stringing some together for us. Now we need him.”

Moore will see a lot of Panthers outside linebacker Brian Burns, whose three sacks and 20 pressures top the team.

LB Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner

Greenlaw and Warner have the joint responsibility of making sure McCaffrey doesn't make it past the second level of the 49ers' defense. Greenlaw currently leads San Francisco in tackles (38) after a standout Week 4 performance of 15 total tackles -- 12 solo -- in the win over the Rams at Levi's Stadium.

Warner isn't too far behind with 25 total tackles, and both linebackers will need to maintain a heightened level of communication in order to contain McCaffrey, who's also very effective in the screen game.

DL Kevin Givens and Hassan Ridgeway

Neither Givens nor Ridgeway are new to the game, as they've been consistently rotated on the defensive line since they started wearing the 49ers' red and gold. They each have five pressures and one sack through four games.

With both Armstead and Kinlaw missing Sunday’s game, Ridgeway and Givens will look to take advantage of a Panthers offensive line that has allowed 26 pressures, including 11 sacks of quarterback Baker Mayfield.

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While Nick Bosa will attract a lot of attention in pursuit of longtime rival Mayfield, Givens and Ridgeway will need to take advantage of every opportunity, as well as stay involved in the run game, and keep the defense adding to its 15 collective sacks and 91 pressures.

TE George Kittle

While talk of the All-Pro’s production outside of team headquarters swirls, no one in the building is concerned about Kittle’s six receptions on nine targets for 52 yards in two games. The conversation might be different had Kittle been able to keep both feet inbounds on a touchdown catch that was reversed in the win over the Rams.

Both Shanahan and 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo believe the tight end's numbers inevitably will increase as the season progresses.

“I think George, coming back from injury and everything, getting his legs under him, he’s looked better and better every day,” Garoppolo said Thursday. “I think his time will come. I think our offense is one of those offenses where not everyone’s going to have a good game every week.

“It’s pick your poison. One week, one guy will have a good game. The next week, the next guy, so it’s kind of just one of those situations.”

Kittle also is unconcerned about his low numbers, adding that he'll do whatever it takes as long as the team is winning.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo

After an improved performance in Week 4, Garoppolo will look to keep the momentum going against a beatable opponent in the Panthers. The quarterback has completed 44 of his 77 passes for 604 yards and three touchdowns through three games, and appears to be rebuilding the chemistry with the offense.

Getting all of the 49ers' skill players involved, including Kittle, will be key for Garoppolo on Sunday. The 49ers always focus on the run first, but taking advantage of a weakened Panthers secondary that will be without starting safety Jeremy Chinn should be an opportunity for the veteran quarterback.

The Panthers still will have linebacker Frankie Luvu, who leads the team in tackles, but safety Xavier Woods, who sat out of practice all week with a hamstring injury, will be a game-time decision. That could provide an opportunity for Garoppolo to connect with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in the second level of Carolina's defense.

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