49ers plagued by weak pass rush
Injuryriddled defense holds back progress
The 49ers don’t play a team that has a winning record in their next three games.
And it’s possible quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, one of their most important players, and AllPro tight end George Kittle, perhaps their best player, could return for the final game or two to restore Kyle Shanahan’s offense to full strength.
So why is it so hard to see this 57 team making an against the odds run into the playoffs?
It’s because their pass rush, the foundation on which last season’s success was built, often has been invisible, and the defensive equivalent to Garoppolo and Kittle isn’t coming to the rescue.
The impact of the loss of Pro Bowl pass rushers Nick Bosa and Dee Ford for the rest of the season was on display Monday night: The 49ers barely bothered Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, and their lack of pressure created a sitting duck secondary in a 3424 loss.
After Allen had thrown for 375 yards and four touchdowns, and the 49ers had allowed 31 first downs — matching the fourth most in franchise history — Shanahan was asked how difficult it was for the defense when it can’t harass quarterbacks with four defensive linemen.
“Extremely difficult,” Shanahan said. “That’s what we were built for.”
Last year, the 49ers had a frontfour fortress that helped produce 48 sacks, their most since 1998. This season, they are on pace for 28, which would match their fewest in a full season since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
Their lack of pressure has been noted throughout this season, but it was never as striking as it was Monday.
The 49ers had one sack and just two other hits on Allen on his 41 dropbacks. Allen, who had at least five seconds to throw on several snaps, became the second opposing quarterback in 49ers history to have 375
yards, 30plus completions and four touchdowns in a game.
“When you’re not getting pressure on the passer, which we expected the San Francisco Dline to do, Josh Allen is going to give you a headache,” said ESPN analyst Louis Riddick in the second quarter.
Riddick probably should haven’t been expecting much pressure, but he was on the money about the migraine.
The tone was set immediately: Allen met cornerback Richard Sherman for the pregame coin toss — and a 49er didn’t touch Allen again for nearly an hour.
It wasn’t until Allen’s 12th pass attempt, with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter, that defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw touched Allen’s left arm while flushing him to his right as Allen fired an 8yard completion to wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Last year, QBs often were running for their lives against the 49ers. On Monday, Allen was so unbothered that in the second quarter, while rolling right, he correctly pointed out a holding call on defensive lineman Arik Armstead before firing a completion that was negated by the infraction.
A review of the game revealed a 49er touched Allen on five of his 41 dropbacks. That total included Kinlaw’s hand on his arm and Armstead’s hand brushing Allen’s back before he stepped up in the pocket to throw an 18yard completion to Diggs in the second quarter.
Allen’s white jersey was unblemished until he emerged grassstained at the end of a 6yard scramble with five minutes left.
The 49ers did create enough pressure to move Allen from the pocket on seven snaps. However, his mobility and ability to throw on the move meant that didn’t have much of an impact: Allen completed 4 of 7 passes for 73 yards when flushed.
“The Dline was doing everything they could and putting a lot of pressure on him, but he did a great job of evading and extending plays,” Sherman said. “You extend plays for four or five seconds, then the coverage usually breaks down.”
Said inside linebacker Fred Warner of Allen’s mobility: “It’s tough to continue to cover and cover and cover and cover.”
The 49ers’ defensive line produced one play that was reminiscent of 2019.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, with the Bills leading 2717 at their 40yard line, defensive end Dion Jordan had a potentially gamechanging blindside sack that caused Allen to fumble.
However, the Bills recovered the loose ball and the moment was not replicated. Allen wasn’t touched on the final six pass attempts of a drive that ended with a gamesealing 28yard touchdown toss.
Allen’s ability to extend plays is a quality lacking in the Rams’ Jared Goff, who couldn’t take advantage of the 49ers’ diminished defensive line. Goff has an 02 record and 63.4 passer rating against the 49ers in 2020.
Allen’s mobility is similar to that of Arizona’s Kyler Murray and Seattle’s Russell Wilson, who have a combined 20 record and 102.3 passer rating against the 49ers this season.
The bad news for the 49ers, a team struggling to get pressure with its front four that might need a 40 finish to make the playoffs?
They will close the season against Murray and Wilson, respectively.
“It’s tough to continue to cover and cover and cover and cover.”
Fred Warner, 49ers linebacker