One of San Francisco’s replacement starters impressed early in his second appearance of the year.
The San Francisco 49ers had a day to forget against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, losing 35-10 to fall to 5-7 on the season.
It was a day where the 49ers dealt with a number of injuries, leading other players to have to step up into bigger roles, as five key contributors were ruled out ahead of the game, while another was hurt on Sunday and didn’t return.
While there weren’t many positives in the blowout loss, one of the players who had to step up was veteran offensive lineman Ben Bartch, who moved into the starting left guard spot with Aaron Banks dealing with a concussion.
And, believe it or not, Bartch played better than expected, allowing just one pressure on 24 pass-rushing snaps, while moving well in the run game, especially when the 49ers looked to move the ball on the ground early.
Bartch had made only one other appearance this season, playing seven snaps the week before against Green Bay after Banks left with an injury, so this was his first extensive look this season, and he looked the part stepping up playing next to backup left tackle Jaylon Moore.
“I was impressed by him,” Shanahan said about Bartch on Monday. “I know he’s got a lot of ability and stuff and we’ve enjoyed working with him here, but that was our first time going into a game with him. I loved how he competed. I thought he blocked well. I thought he helped us in that game. So it was a good first start for him.”
The 49ers haven’t seen great consistency from their interior offensive line this season, particularly from the left guard or center position. So, it was a good sight to see productive play from that position in Week 13, even with the 35-10 loss, as Bartch made the most of his opportunities.
That leads to the question: do the 49ers entertain a change ahead of Week 14 with Bartch, especially considering that veteran Jon Feliciano will not return at all this season?
Banks is in the final season of his rookie contract, and it doesn’t feel like the 49ers will bring him back, given his inconsistent play, so it might be worth giving other options, such as Bartch or Spencer Burford, a look to evaluate the team’s outlook at the position ahead of the 2025 season.
Banks is still in the concussion protocol as of Monday, so it could be that the 49ers are forced to go to Bartch regardless, but that situation will certainly be one to monitor ahead of this Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.