The San Francisco 49ers were expecting to get strong safety Talanoa Hufanga back against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday confirmed in a press conference that Hufanga will get a full practice in to begin the week. He’s on track to suit up Sunday when the 49ers visit the Rams. It will be his first game action since tearing his ACL in Week 11 last season.
Shanahan said the team is excited to get its All-Pro back in the secondary.
“But obviously, you always miss Huf out there,” Shanahan said. “The big play capability, how well he communicates, flying sideline to sideline. We’re going to be pumped. He should get back this week if everything goes right. We’ve missed him.”
Hufanga should help the 49ers clean up a couple of problems that plagued them in a 23-17 loss to the Vikings in Week 2.
Safety George Odum, who stepped in for Hufanga as the starting strong safety during training camp and the preseason, struggled vs. Minnesota. He was beat for a 97-yard touchdown that flipped the game and wound up coming out of the game for rookie Malik Mustapha.
Miscommunications were a pretty significant problem for the 49ers on Sunday as well. They gave up an easy touchdown on a miscommunication, and a key first down on the Vikings’ final scoring drive that looked like a communication breakdown in the secondary.
Getting everyone in the secondary on the same page should help a 49ers defense that is allowing opponents to convert a whopping 59.1 percent of their third downs. San Francisco has two interceptions, but both have come from linebackers. Having another playmaking safety in the back end of the defense should help the 49ers generate some more takeaways as well.
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