SS Donte Whitner: 5’10”, 208 lbs., 26 years old.
TE Jermaine Gresham 6’5”, 260 lbs., 23 years old.
Like the first two weeks of the season, Donte Whitner finds himself in a matchup he simply cannot win. Gresham is 7 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than Whitner. On third or fourth and short, you’ve got to assume the Bengals will look to exploit this matchup in particular – that’s what the Cowboys did last week. When they absolutely needed a first down, Romo threw jump balls to Jason Witten, and Whitner had no chance to stop them. The Niners will have to mix in zone coverages to slow down Gresham, but their zones have been weak so far, and that’s partially the fault of the inside linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis. Vic Fangio has to figure out an effective strategy to cover tight ends, or else Donte Whitner will be burned in one-on-one coverage all season long.
Advantage: Bengals
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