Top 5 takeaways from 49ers’ NFL preseason victory over Chiefs
By Chris Wilson
49ers’ defense has depth but needs Bosa & Ford to return
San Francisco’s 2019 defense will be much stronger than their 2018 unit, but their success will hinge on the successful return of rookie DE Nick Bosa and newcomer EDGE Dee Ford. Without the 49ers’ pair of top edge rushers, the team’s third-down pass rush looked a lot like the 2018 version, with defensive linemen Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner in the middle, and Solomon Thomas and Leger Douzable on the outside.
Lacking an effective pass rush, the 49ers were no match for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was voted the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2018. Kansas City’s franchise QB stood tall in the pocket, completing 80 percent of his passes for a touchdown and a quarterback rating of 152.1.
On one of the few plays he was forced to scramble, Mahomes, who was the top performer at his position at the 20-yard shuttle drill at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine, showed off his short-area quickness against San Francisco’s oversized pass-rushers:
https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1165425538309079040
Once Bosa and Ford both return — hopefully by Week 1 of the regular season — the 49ers’ pass rush should be in good shape, given the depth the team has assembled on the defensive line. One particular player who impressed over the course of the 2019 NFL preseason is defensive lineman Damontre Moore, a former third-round draft pick in 2013, who stood out in each of the team’s three games:
For the second consecutive week, Damontre Moore (89.4 vs. KC) had the top overall grade on the #49ers defense. He is making it very difficult to leave him off the 53.
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) August 25, 2019
However, with 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh calling the plays, the 49ers will need Bosa, Ford and all the help they can get on third downs. On San Francisco’s first drive, Saleh’s decision to rush three big men and drop Thomas into coverage against speedster running back Damien Williams — the fourth-fastest running back at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine — was a head-scratcher that ended as expected:
https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/1165420386311266304