San Francisco 49ers: Week 7 will be a true test for rookie Solomon Thomas
By Peter Panacy
San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive end Solomon Thomas had his best week in Week 6 against the Washington Redskins. But with injuries aplenty, Thomas will be put to the test versus the Dallas Cowboys.
In Week 6 against the Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive end Solomon Thomas likely experienced his best game as a pro, earning him a nomination for Pepsi’s NFL Rookie of the Week.
Hopefully you voted.
Thomas recorded four run stops during the game — the most in the NFL last week, according to Pro Football Focus — and recorded an 86.6 overall PFF game grade during the contest.
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That’s great. But Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys will be a bit tougher.
Thomas’ pending matchup against the Cowboys is going to be more important, as the Niners are down two edge rushers for the contest. Defensive end Arik Armstead (hand) is on injured reserve, and fellow EDGE Aaron Lynch has been listed as OUT for the contest.
This means more snaps for Thomas, who already has 180 pass-rushing snaps over six games.
Dallas left tackle Tyron Smith will be the primary obstacle between Thomas and the Cowboys backfield. Over five games, Smith has posted a 76.2 overall PFF grade and has fared notably better in pass protection.
Smith has given up two sacks and 11 quarterback pressures, though.
Containing Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott
Thomas is ranked second on San Francisco’s defense with two sacks this season. But getting to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott won’t be his only responsibility.
With Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott’s pending six-game suspension put on hold for now, the talented tailback will be on display in Week 7 versus the Niners.
And it’s a good thing Thomas is faring well against the run.
The Cowboys haven’t had quite as much success run blocking this season, and it has hurt Elliott’s elusiveness rating, per PFF — now at 38.0, ranked 15th out of all qualifying runners.
Still, one should expect Dallas to run Elliott a lot to the left side of their line. This means an increased workload for Thomas, who’ll likely see the majority of run-defense snaps on Sunday.
Whether or not Thomas can rise to the occasion and offer up yet another solid game will go a long way in determining how the 49ers handle the Cowboys offense.
Next: Four things to watch between 49ers and Cowboys
The Niners and Cowboys kick off at 4:05 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium.