Golden Nuggets: Trey Sermon is expected to start for the 49ers at running back tonight

The fun starts now. The 49ers' level of competition should be as challenging as any other team during the next handful of games. It starts tonight as the Packers are in town.

San Francisco has mismatches at key positions against Green Bay, whose left tackle, Elgton Jenkins didn’t travel with the team to the Bay Area. Sunday night presents a perfect opportunity for the Niners pass rush to have its first breakout game of the season.

49ers expected to start rookie RB Trey Sermon vs. Packers on ‘Sunday Night Football,’ per report

With all those backs down, it looks like Kyle Shanahan will be turning to rookie Trey Sermon in Week 3. According to Ed Werder of ESPN, Sermon is expected to start for the 49ers against Green Bay. If that’s the case, he’ll be the third starting running back for the club in three weeks.

While he hasn’t lived up to his draft billing thus far — he was a healthy scratch in Week 1 — the young back will get an opportunity to take the reins in a 49ers offense that loves to run the football. Even with all those injuries, the Niners entered Week 3 third in the league in rushing attempts (66).

Packers vs. 49ers Week 3 preview: Who has the advantage?

Niners Wire: This is an area San Francisco should dominate. Their defensive front is deep and relatively healthy with Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Dee Ford and Kentavius Street all playing at a high level through two weeks. Philadelphia’s very good defensive line struggled to get the run game going and to keep quarterback Jalen Hurts clean. Their offensive line is also very good. Garoppolo hasn’t taken a sack yet and right tackle Mike McGlinchey is having a bounce-back year in 2021. There’s a hole at right guard though that teams can exploit. Daniel Brunskill struggled bad in Week 2 and barring a dramatic turnaround he’ll continue to be an area of concern on San Francisco’s offensive front.

Advantage: 49ers

49ers elevate veteran running back Johnson from P-squad

Johnson will be available for the 49ers’ backfield with the team down four running backs from those they expected to have this season.

While playing in the NFC North, he faced the Packers five times. He carried 46 times for 192 yards and four touchdowns against Green Bay.

Jennings among fastest 49ers after slow combine in 2020

“Speed is deceiving,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said on 49ers Game Plan. “Yeah, when you run 4.7 at the combine, you’re not one of the blazers. But he’s one of the fastest guys out there on the GPS each day.

“How he runs each play, how he comes off the ball, people would be surprised.”

“The first 10 yards are everything in the 40,” Shanahan said. “I think it’s how a guy prepares for that. Jauan, I picture him, he is more of a football player.

“(It was) probably not the best decision for him not to prepare for the combine as hard as he could, but I’m glad he did. That allowed us to get him in the seventh round. I’m glad that he’s here.”

Richard Sherman explains how weight gain hampered 49ers tenure

“I’m more of the guy I was before my Achilles than I was in 2019 and 2018,” Sherman told Touchdown Wire’s, Doug Farrar. “That’s (because) I was able to lose the weight that I wasn’t able to lose after my Achilles. I had 15 pounds of ‘Dad Weight’ i guess it was, and I couldn’t lose it for my life. I tried to diet, I tried to starve myself, I tried to sit in the sauna all day, I tried keto, I tried every which way to lose the weight and I could never get below 207 (pounds), and before I tore my Achilles I could never get above 196 (pounds) ever in my career. I never got above 200 in my life.”