Photo by Roy K. Miller\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images <\/p>\n

The San Francisco 49ers<\/a> were able to put the Buccaneers<\/a> away 31-17 on Sunday after forcing four turnovers. It had to feel good for general manager John Lynch<\/a> to see early returns on some of his recent acquisitions Nick Bosa<\/a> and Dee Ford. Those were far from the only two that made plays, as we’ve highlighted<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

Mark Nzeocha<\/a> <\/p>\n

The 49ers defense had to do some shuffling around once Kwon Alexander was ejected<\/a>, and that meant more playing time for Nzeocha<\/a>, who was opportunistic. A ball went through O.J. Howard<\/a>’s hands, and Nzeocha<\/a> broke on the pass, and the ball fell in his hands. He only managed 16 snaps on defense, but Nzeocha<\/a> filled in admirably. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Raheem Mostert<\/a> <\/p>\n

Mostert<\/a> had to step in once Tevin Coleman<\/a> went down<\/a>, and the 49ers offense didn’t miss a beat. Mostert<\/a> ran for 40 yards on nine carries and forced five missed tackles. He had a touchdown called back, and if not<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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