49ers mailbag: Which players might return for NFC showdown with Bucs?

SANTA CLARA The ers have emerged from a three-day weekend as the NFC West s outright leaders Last seen walking off the Rams and literally walling them off on fourth down the Niners reunite for a p m practice Monday Let s dive into Week with our social-media mailbag Professor why did the NFL put the ers in nd position in the NFC EMIsports By virtue of a - overall record and - mark against NFC teams the ers sit atop the conference for the first time since the season That conference mark is a key tiebreaker come January s playoff seeding after sizing up head-to-head battles divisional games and common opponents Other - NFC teams are the ers hosts this Sunday the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - NFC as well as the Philadelphia Eagles - and the Detroit Lions - Where do you rank Mac Jones as a backup QB in the NFL Might he be the best MrEd It s not just that Mac Jones is - in place of Brock Purdy toe Jones is doing it with flair guts smarts admiration and a high pitch count despite substitute receivers This season alone Jones indeed is the NFL s top backup The competition includes benched starters Russell Wilson Giants and Joe Flacco Browns and don t forget proven veterans Kirk Cousins Falcons Carson Wentz Vikings and Andy Dalton Panthers Ex-Niners quarterbacks in No roles Jimmy Garoppolo Rams Trey Lance Chargers Josh Dobbs Patriots Nick Mullens Jaguars and Brandon Allen Titans Has Mac Jones earned -year M for borkerchorker Jones is not a one-year reclamation project like Sam Darnold was in The ers lured Jones on a two-year million deal with a million base salary next season Darnold s financial trajectory million on the ers million on the Vikings then a three-year million package in March from the Seahawks How will the Niners slow down Baker and the passing attack Pressure or coverage juliantalai Baker Mayfield is - all-time against the ers matching his record against the Ravens for the worst matchups of a turned-around career He s come a long impressive way since Nick Bosa dominated him in their Monday Night meeting Baaaaaaker Baaaaaaaker Mayfield has thrown this season for yards touchdowns and one interception as an early MVP candidate Bosa will be missed this tournament more than any other this season While a fierce pass rush benefits the coverage unit let s put the onus on the empty-handed coverage units The ers have gone a franchise record straight games without an interception With the return of Mustapha which safety is heading to the bench AlimKamat Rookie Marques Sigle and veteran Jason Pinnock have played all snaps as the starting safeties Sigle s also played special-teams snaps to Pinnock s three and Sigle has tackles including Thursday s grand finale to Pinnock s Those are just numbers The ers appreciate Pinnock s veteran guidance They covet Sigle s speed and evident advancement That mentioned Mustapha is nine months removed from a follow-up ACL repair and he is allowed three weeks to ramp up for his debut This question can be tabled for a week or three Can you give us an idea of a timeline for the returning wounded michael budd How much time have you got Here s an educated guess QB Brock Purdy toe This week more likely next week etc TE George Kittle hamstring Next week WR Ricky Pearsall knee This week WR Jauan Jennings rib ankle This week WR Jordan Watkins calf Two weeks CB Upton Stout ankle TBD DL Yetur Gross-Matos hamstring Minimal weeks DL Kalia Davis hand Next week or more DL Alfred Collins knee This week S Malik Mustapha knee This week in current times for his first practices since last season What s the word with Aiyuk motorin mona Antsy that s the word The ers have given no indication when they ll open his evaluation window a week after he became eligible to return He s looked antsy and lively while shadowing the receiver warmups since training camp He must practice before suiting up and that could take a couple of weeks So a midseason comeback Are you concerned with the offensive line play robertdomenichini When do we talk about adding offensive line to the contract list with D-end itsmerobertooo Each and every week the offensive line is a concern for EVERY association The ers have bigger issues with the vitality of their quarterbacks wide receivers and defensive line the latter of which remains the preponderance pressing issue without Bosa Win or lose will a exchange happen fernandez joe Yes and the more they win the more they should be willing to pay There s already too much attrition to buck their annual trend of trading for help What is your opinion of Brendel s play I don t see him move DL in the run event and steadily pushed back in pass protection DenverDrew Not plenty of centers stand out for their dominance Jake Brendel has started every challenge since That reflects the ers strong opinion of him and theirs counts more than yours Overlooked is Brendel s aptitude to help puppet this scheme If Alfred Collins is unable to play this week who will replace him kgarcia Bring on The Hulk Remember our summer romance with undrafted rookie Sebastian Valdez He s on the practice squad But so is Evan Anderson and he played games last season as a rookie Who s the starting QB podman Ah the weekly question If we answered now then what would you read all week every week QB argument jestiny Now THAT is a clickbait story not worth your time Jones addressed it with refreshing honesty postgame They brought me here to play as a backup and that s my job Brock s the starter of this band and right now he s dealing with something I m just trying to get specific wins for him so it helps us down the line At the end of the day that s what it s all about I ve been in his position I ve been a starter and you want your backup to go in there and win because at the end of the season that could be the hit or miss between a playoff or not Related Articles Eddy Pi eiro one of five ers who have thrived in next man up season Trump advisor suggests ICE could be present at Super Bowl LX at Levi s Stadium ers Kyle Shanahan thought Mac Jones was done and then he went back on the field Inman things that caught my eye in ers overtime win over Rams ers win over Rams show Shanahan s machine has NFL playoffs in future Jones after leading the Patriots to the playoffs as a rookie finished one win shy of a postseason encore His backups were Bailey Zappe and Brian Hoyer