No. 3: Left Tackle Joe Staley vs. EDGE Chandler Jones
Cardinals edge rusher Chandler Jones has already made his presence known this season, accounting for four sacks over the first three weeks.
Preventing him from getting to quarterback Brian Hoyer will largely fall upon the shoulders of left tackle Joe Staley, who owns a 72.8 pass-blocking grade this season, according to Pro Football Focus, and will look to at least keep that number in place versus Jones.
Jones is perfectly adept at getting around the edge, as this strip sack against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 shows:
But that’s not his only move. The previous week, Jones was able to deke inside and put pressure on Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, as shown below:
Simply put, Staley is going to have to hold his own against Jones. Fortunately, the interior pass protection has been the bigger problem for the 49ers.
But with Hoyer having taken 10 sacks already — tied for sixth most in the league — Jones is going to be a player Staley and Co. need to eliminate from the equation.