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The San Francisco 49ers were able to put the Buccaneers away 31-17 on Sunday after forcing four turnovers. It had to feel good for general manager John Lynch to see early returns on some of his recent acquisitions Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. Those were far from the only two that made plays, as we’ve highlighted. There were also plenty of players that made an impact during the game that deserves so much more credit than they received. Here are a few players in contention for the unsung hero of Week 1.
The 49ers defense had to do some shuffling around once Kwon Alexander was ejected, and that meant more playing time for Nzeocha, who was opportunistic. A ball went through O.J. Howard’s hands, and Nzeocha broke on the pass, and the ball fell in his hands. He only managed 16 snaps on defense, but Nzeocha filled in admirably.
Nzeocha is here because he was responsible for driving a Buccaneer back into the punter and getting a piece of the ball. A blocked punt to start the season is how you set the tone, especially after a season where you rarely started in opponent’s territory.
Mostert had to step in once Tevin Coleman went down, and the 49ers offense didn’t miss a beat. Mostert ran for 40 yards on nine carries and forced five missed tackles. He had a touchdown called back, and if not
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