49ers vs. Colts: Top 3 questions to answer for San Francisco in Week 5

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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers hits quarterback Carson Palmer #3 of the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Can the 49ers defense replicate the QB pressure from last week?

Last week against the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers were able to pressure quarterback Carson Palmer regularly throughout the game, with the exception of overtime.

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With 16 hits and six sacks on Palmer, the 49ers defense had quite a bit of success against a depleted Arizona offensive line that was without former 49ers’ Alex Boone and Mike Iupati.

DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, Ray Ray Armstrong, Eli Harrold and, as seen in the video below, Elvis Dumervil all were able to get to Palmer consistently. Obviously, in overtime, the Cards’ offensive line provided just enough protection for Palmer to lead Arizona on a game-winning touchdown drive, the only one surrendered by the defense all day.

At the end of the day, the 49ers still came up short.

But in a season primarily for change over and growth of the young players, the 49ers do appear headed in the right direction. At least defensively. After surrendering 165 yards per game on the ground last year, the team is yielding 106 yards per game so far in 2017, ranking 15th in the NFL.

But their success against Arizona in pressuring Palmer had been absent through the first three games, as they had not registered a sack. For a team with three first-round draft picks along the defensive front, that was not acceptable.

Luckily for them, they will face another team, whose offensive line is under scrutiny. The Colts line has allowed 14 sacks on the season to date. With a young QB, some of that falls on his ability to call for added protection, and not hold the ball so long. However, Jacoby Brissett is also a mobile QB, amassing 69 yards rushing the past three weeks. Comparatively, Palmer has 18 yards on the season.

As a young, aggressive defense, it will behoove the 49ers to maintain lane integrity, seal off the edges and force Brissett to stay in the pocket. While that will most likely be the narrative defensive coordinator Robert Saleh laments to his players, executing that game plan could prove tricky.

If the Niners can pressure Brissett, it would mean Indy has to keep Frank Gore in to pass protect, limiting their options offensively.

And if the 49er defense can confuse Brissett with different looks, it would open up the opportunities for Buckner and company to raid the Indianapolis backfield.