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All eyes on are the young "rival" quarterbacks in Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson, or on wide receiver Anquan Boldin and his huge Week 1 performance heading into the Week 2 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. Putting up 208 yards receiving will definitely put the spotlight on a receiver, especially when the position was a huge question mark a week ago.
But there is one player being overlooked who could be the key to San Francisco's victory on Sunday: tight end Vernon Davis.
There's reason to overlook Davis at this point, and it all stems from his performances last year. Against the Seahawks, Davis managed just one catch for 27 yards -- in both games. Seattle put Kam Chancellor on Davis for the primary portion of both games, and he handled Davis well.
Of course, there is reason to believe that Davis will have a better time out on Sunday. The biggest argument in his favor is the fact that he was utilized so poorly last season. Delanie Walker ran a lot of his routes and the 49ers kept Davis in the block an awful lot. Chancellor covered him well, to be sure, but Davis will be much more active in this game.
With the injury to Michael Crabtree, we saw Boldin step up in Week 1, but it was Davis who was Kaepernick's target once they got in the red zone. I said it before, but that short touchdown to Davis seemed so utterly effortless when it came down to it. It was like they went to the huddle and said "well darn, we'll just have to throw it to Davis, I guess."
Of course, Davis could draw another assignment this week. Without Crabtree, the Seahawks might be able to spare a corner to cover Davis which means their could be troubles. That said, I think Davis' role is important in this game. Boldin will get those tough catches, he'll make the third down grabs and he'll get the YAC needed to get the 49ers into the red zone.
But once they get there, it's all Davis. If he wins his battles, then the 49ers score. There's no need to say anything else.