Quarterback Nick Mullens and the San Francisco 49ers didn’t have to worry too much about the Raiders pass rush in Week 9. The case is the same again versus the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
The San Francisco 49ers will start Nick Mullens at quarterback in Week 10 when the one-win New York Giants come to town for a prime-time bout on Monday Night Football.
Mullens, who shocked the NFL world with a dominant 34-3 win over the Oakland Raiders the previous week, wasn’t sacked during that Week 9 contest. And Oakland’s pass-rushers managed to get just two hits on him.
Simply put, the Raiders pass rush is bad. It entered the game with just seven sacks on the year — fewest in the NFL. After Week 9, that number and placement remains the same.
Young quarterbacks often struggle facing pressure. And while Mullens’ numbers from his one and only start at the pro level were impressive, he did so without having to face a prolific defense and pass rush.
Fortunately for both Mullens and the 49ers, he won’t have to worry too much about another one from New York.
While not quite as bad as that of Oakland, the Giants’ pass rush ranks just one spot ahead of the Raiders, generating 10 sacks on the season. Only two players on New York’s defense, defensive end B.J. Hill and linebacker Lorenzo Carter, have more than one sack. And, not surprisingly, Football Outsiders ranks the Giants defensive line 31st in adjusted sack rate, coming in at a paltry 3.5 percent.
As a result, New York’s defense is allowing an average of 6.9 yards against per pass attempt — seventh highest in the NFL.
Pass protection has been something of an issue for San Francisco for much of 2018. While run blocking has been excellent, the 49ers offensive line currently ranks 25th, according to Football Outsiders, giving up a sack 9.0 percent of the time and having allowed 31 on the year.
Yet Mullens showcased one attribute his predecessor, C.J. Beathard, has not: the ability to get the ball out quickly.
Unlike most young quarterbacks, who tend to hold onto the ball too long, Mullens’ throws for the majority of the victory over Oakland didn’t take too much time.
Just check out this number, found by The Athletic’s David Lombardi:
Per SportRadar, 49ers QB Nick Mullens averaged 2.46 seconds from snap to throw last week, the 2nd-quickest time of any NFL QB who has played at least one full game this season (min. 20 throws).
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) November 5, 2018
Drew Brees is the quickest on average among QBs with multiple starts: 2.57 seconds.
There are two elements at play here. First, Mullens isn’t showing signs of holding onto the ball for too long. Second, the Giants pass rush is nearly as bad as that of the Raiders.
And while Oakland’s defense is arguably worse than that of New York, it shouldn’t be too much of a steep maturation curve for Mullens and San Francisco’s offense on Monday night.
So don’t be shocked if Mullens winds up putting up similar numbers seen in Week 9.
The 49ers and Giants kick off on Monday, Nov. 12 at 8:15 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.