Why does Emmanuel Sanders recovers week 16 vs Rams?

The San Francisco 49ers newest catcher had a tough game Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Let's take a look at why Emmanuel Sanders will bounce back Saturday night when the Los Angeles Rams hit the city.

The San Francisco 49ers did not get much from open receiver Emmanuel Sanders on Sunday at Levi Stadium during their loss to the Atlanta Falcons. That even seems like an understatement, as Sanders finished with only two catches for nine yards on four goals.

Pro Football Focus also didn't think much of its day, as the receiver was rated with his lowest mark of the season with only 48.6 overall, receiving 50.9 and being docked with a fall.

Worst of all, Sanders seemed to disappear, though he was on the field for 61 of the 49ers' 64 offensive snapshots. While not the only one, as out of 13 catches on the shutout wing George Kittle for 134 yards, the 49ers' pass receivers caught just nine balls for 66 yards.

Emmanuel Sanders recovers week 16 vs Rams

It was a little awful in this department.

So the easy answer to the question of why Sanders will bounce back against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday is that he can't really make it much worse. But that's not the only reason for Sanders' expected return.

The first thing to keep in mind is that while the Rams have traded for former Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey, they also changed Marcus Peters for the Baltimore Ravens and Aqib Talib for the Dolphins, essentially denying Ramsey's incorporation into the equipment.

While Ramsey has played decently in his time with the Rams (PFF qualifies him at a defensive grade of 69.9 from interchange), the Peters and Talib exchanges mean that there is no one on the other side of the defense to match the 49ers receivers. Then, unless Ramsey follows Sanders, which may happen, the other Rams cornerbacks shouldn't have to endure much.

Troy Hill, the likely obvious starter Ramsey, has become a better overall defender than Ramsey, according to PFF (76.4 overall). But their degree of coverage has been vastly fluctuating, from the highest (88.4 against the Cincinnati Bengals, 80.5 two weeks ago against the Seattle Seahawks) and the lowest lowest (45.7 against the Baltimore Ravens, 36.2 last week against Dallas Cowboys).

There's also the matter of what the Rams will do with Kittle, who caught fire with the tune of eight caught for 103 yards in Week 6, and has been a staple for most teams in the last two seasons. If the 49ers' tight wing can control center field, as he usually does, he could let Sanders patrol the outside or shorter center areas, which he should take advantage of.

Rams linebacker Cory Littleton, who is likely to be tasked with controlling Kittle, had coverage issues during the Week 6 showdown (PFF had him in a game-high 59.6 coverage grade). And if that happens again, the 49ers have another top-flight pick, which they didn't support in Los Angeles, it would be a good omen for both Kittle and Sanders.

While balance may be key to the 49ers' offensive success on Saturday, they certainly will need more of their receivers than they did against Atlanta on Sunday. Given the Rams defensive staff, Sanders should have a chance to recover for Week 16.