This is the second part in a series that spotlights three 49ers-Saints matchups to watch Sunday, 10 a.m., at the Superdome, New Orleans.
49ers LB Chris Borland vs. Saints TE Jimmy Graham
Tale of the tape
Borland (50): 5 foot 11, 248 pounds, rookie, Wisconsin
Graham (80): 6 foot 7, 265 pounds, fifth season, Miami (Fla.)
Seven-time Pro Bowl selection Patrick Willis has not practiced this week, and he is not expected to be available to face the Saints on Sunday. That means Borland will get his third consecutive starting assignment on Sunday.
Graham, the former college basketball player, is a load to cover. Since 2011, Graham has 316 receptions for 4,025 yards and an NFL-leading 41 touchdowns. He is New Orleans’ leading receiver this season with 46 catches for 518 yards and five touchdowns.
[RELATED: Matchup No. 3: Eric Reid vs. Drew Brees]
Borland will not be up against Graham from start to finish. In fact, Graham is not a one-man job. But Borland will get plenty of chances on some underneath routes against Graham. Borland did a good job last week with 18 tackles (the 49ers’ coaches tallied him with 22 tackles) in the loss to the St. Louis Rams. But Borland will face a stiff challenge in coverage against Graham, who has an 8-inch height advantage.
“And all of our defensive backs are in that same (5-foot-11) range,” Fangio said. “He’s going to have that height advantage almost over everybody that will line up on him, just like he does each and every week in the NFL for the most part. It’s a tough matchup and makes it tougher that he’s a part of a very balanced offense so it’s hard to give special attention to one guy all the time. We just have to go out and play.”
