49ers vs. Buccaneers: 5 X-factors for San Francisco in Week 12
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: Pressuring Jameis Winston Without the Blitz
Rare are the quarterbacks who perform well when under pressure, and Jameis Winston is no exception.
San Francisco 49ers
Looking back at Niner Noise’s breakdown of what the 49ers can expect from the former first-overall NFL Draft pick, it’s helpful to look at his passer-rating splits when facing pressure, not having to face it and how he handles opponents’ blitzes:
"Per Pro Football Focus, his passer rating drops to 66.3 when facing such pressure, compared to 86.5 without it. Like the New York Giants’ Eli Manning, though, Winston is more than competent handling blitzes. His passer rating when facing five-plus pass-rushers is 103.0."
Moral of the story? Get pressure on Winston without having to blitz.
That has been a problem for San Francisco all year long, however. The 49ers boast 25 sacks on the season, which is tied for 18th. But eight of those sacks came against a porous and banged-up Oakland Raiders offensive line back in Week 9, so you have to take those stats with a grain of salt.
Against the Giants, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was forced to rely on blitz packages to get pressure on quarterback Eli Manning.
It didn’t go well, and those failed get-homes were key X-factors in New York’s come-from-behind victory in Santa Clara.
Winston could easily do the same if the situation presents itself. With the Buccaneers offensive line ranking 15th in pass protection, according to Football Outsiders, this won’t exactly be an easy task.