Foster’s performance critical, stakes are high for 49ers

The 49ers must flip the script without franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo – and it starts on defense.

There’s perhaps no more important player to San Francisco on that side of the ball than promising second-year pro Reuben Foster, who played like one of the NFL’S best young linebackers as a rookie in 2017.

But that wasn’t the case in Kansas City, when Foster’s struggles in his first game back from suspension exacerbated the defense’s inability to slow the Chiefs. Foster, normally the team’s most reliable tackler, missed six in the game, one more than the five tackles he made.

And the 49ers allowed touchdowns on all five first-half possessions, yielding 35 points at the break, effectively putting the game out of reach with 30 minutes to play.

“I don’t take it lightly on myself. That’s uncalled for,” Foster said of his performance.

Foster acknowledged leading up to the game that it was going to be important to reign his excitement. He was sorely missed during the first two weeks while suspended, when San Francisco lost by one possession in Minnesota and barely hung on to beat Detroit, all while the Vikings and Lions took advantage of Foster’s backups, Brock Coyle and then Elijah Lee after Coyle got hurt in the opener.

Cornerback Richard Sherman watched the second half from the sideline in Kansas City after leaving with a left calf strain. The defense rebounded and allowed just three points to the Chiefs after halftime, and Sherman noted that San Francisco’s firsthalf problems could be resolved quickly.