Golden Nuggets: Can 49ers catch Panthers in trap game?

Good morning everyone. The San Francisco 49ers are, surprisingly, 1-0 after beating the Los Angeles Rams in equally surprising fashion. They shutout Jeff Fisher’s Rams, putting up 28 points on the offensive side of the ball. That was unexpected, even if the Rams aren’t a great team. They’re supposed to be strong on defense, but they certainly weren’t that.

Next, the 49ers have a MUCH tougher opponent: the Carolina Panthers. I’m not going to be one of those media guys who thinks he can gauge how much momentum, confidence, etc can impact any given game. It obviously matters, and it’s obviously one of the most worthless things to try and quantify. But Cam Newton and the Panthers have to be frustrated at the very least.

Will that lead to the 49ers having a shot? I doubt it. But that’s kinda my job at this point, isn’t it? Let’s jump into your links for the day.

Yes, 49ers can shock the world against Panthers in obvious ‘trap game’ (Biderman)

Lions LB DeAndre Levy talks Colin Kaepernick, anthem protest in heartfelt column (Brady)

What are the odds? 49ers historically huge underdogs (Branch)

Short on guards, Chiefs promote former 49ers OL Devey (CSN Bay Area)

Wake-up call: 49ers ready for early starts this season (Barrows)

MVP, long odds await 49ers in Week 2 (Branch)

Seattle, S.F. high school football teams kneel during national anthem (SacBee)

Brooks: 49ers defense is ‘scary sight’ for Panthers (Maiocco)

After one game, ex-49ers punter owns two Panthers records (Maiocco)

Buckner steps into big role as 49ers rookie (Maiocco)

49ers sleep easy in preparations to face Panthers (Maiocco)

Five ways 49ers can win at Carolina, avoid repeat of last year’s Week 2 rout (Inman)