3 Players To Watch: 49ers vs. Broncos [POLL]
After two weeks of preseason games, football fans are finally getting a glimpse of their starting teams play sustained football. The first couple games of the preseason are warm-ups, where starting players play one or two drives until they ride the bench. Also, playbooks are opened up a little wider by the coaches as they try new plays for the upcoming year.
It's week three for the San Francisco 49ers and they head to Denver to face Peyton Manning and the Broncos Saturday night. With many position battles and players fighting for roster spots, there are going to be plenty of story lines on the 49ers team after game three.
Here are three players to keep an eye on during the game:
3. Jarryd Hayne, RB/ST
I know you have heard of the guy before and I know he has already put on stellar performances in week one and two, but this week will be another test for the 27-year-old rugby star. He is second in the league in rushing yards through two games, surpassing 50 yards in both events. The impressive part, though, is his return game. He is due for a return touchdown any minute.
Hayne has been one of the biggest stars of the preseason so far, so with the 49ers considering him to join the team, coach Jim Tomsula may use him in a few different roles in this game to see his worth. I'd say he's already made the roster, but if he has another impressive day on Saturday, he will definitely earn some playing time in the regular season.
2. Quinton Patton, WR/ST
Patton was phenomenal on one play last week when he blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a quick touchdown. The problem is that he is perhaps the front runner for the No. 3 receiver spot - now that Jerome Simpson is suspended the first 6 games - and he has little to show for it. Last week he had three targets, three receptions for just two yards. The worst part is a play when he caught the ball and ran backwards for 12 yards scrambling on a broken play.
He had a quiet season last year opportunity-wise, will this be the week he emerges as the clear No. 3 guy behind Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith?
1. Colin Kaepernick, QB
Kaepernick is in a very important position this year. He has a new coach, a new playbook, a new system and a few new weapons around him. He has done the training, he's refined his throwing technique with Kurt Warner and he has been working on getting off the snap much quicker. All of these things are a lot for one man to juggle, but I guess that's why they pay him the big bucks.
Saturday's game will be his first test. In the first two games, he was 3 for 8 with 27 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. I have no idea how he did because he was given two drives to put up those numbers. He may play the entire first half this week, we may finally be able to see how he handles this team for a few drives in a row.