The San Francisco 49ers will play the rest of the way without receivers Mario Manningham and Kyle Williams, meaning a familiar face is in line to start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
Randy Moss is now the No. 2 wideout for the 49ers after Manningham tore ligaments in his left knee during Sunday night's 42-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Comcast SportsNet Bay Area reported Tuesday that Manningham is scheduled for season-ending surgery and might not be ready for the start of training camp.
That leaves the 35-year-old Moss across from Michael Crabtree in two-receiver sets. Moss has pulled in 26 catches for 406 yards and three touchdowns in limited work this season, but saw his snaps nearly double with Manningham out of the picture.
Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis is making his way through the league's concussion protocol, leaving just Ted Ginn and ghostlike rookie A.J. Jenkins behind Moss. Ginn has two catches on the year; Jenkins has only played a handful of snaps.
Moss has produced one of great careers in NFL history, but he's not about to turn the clock back five years. He hasn't caught more than three passes in a game since Week 1.
This is an offense based on a pounding ground game, but the personnel shuffling will challenge young quarterback Colin Kaepernick. San Francisco struggled to win matchups against Seattle's physical corners Sunday night, a task that won't get any easier come January.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
