The 49ers have a short week to get ready for the Rams, who had a few extra days to prepare. Making the task harder for the 49ers is the fact that they’ll have to come up with a strategy to move the ball without fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who is out for at least a month with a knee injury.
“It’ll be different,” quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo told reporters on Wednesday regarding life without Juszczyk. “But, you know, the coaches, they’ve been working hard getting the game plan ready. We’ve got to go out there and execute it, so whatever it is, it is.”
What it is is this: The absence of a key component to the offense, the only fullback listed on the entire roster.
“Juice does so much for this offense, he just, the versatility, he does things that most fullbacks can’t do,” Garoppolo said. “He’s catching passes out of the backfield, diving for catches while also cutting a [defensive end] on the backside. It’s little things like that. It’ll be important for us to get that just with other people.”
The only other people who will be able to even try to do it are tight ends like George Kittle, Ross Dwelley, and Levine Toilolo. Another tight end, Daniel Helm, is on the practice squad.