5 bold predictions for 49ers defense in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Nick Bosa, Dee Ford Get 10-Plus Sacks Apiece
If the 49ers wind up towards the very top of sack production in 2020, it’ll have to come from multiple spots.
And one of the ways it happens is if at least two players on San Francisco’s roster reach double-digit sack totals.
This hasn’t happened for the Niners in quite some time. The last time the 49ers had two players reach this feat was back in 1998 when pass-rushers Chris Doleman and Roy Barker both reached this mark. True, not even the defensively dominant Niners teams under former head coach Jim Harbaugh did this.
So it stands as one of the lofty goals for Robert Saleh in 2020: get at least two of his players into double-digit sacks, which would serve to increase his defense’s overall potency this season.
As for who does it? The best two candidates are Nick Bosa and Dee Ford.
Bosa’s arrow is pointing up, so that’s not hard to envision. But while Armstead reached this mark last year, the career-high total might point to a slight decrease towards average this upcoming year, while Ford has gotten to the double-digit mark twice already in his still-young career.
As long as Ford stays healthy and benefits from San Francisco’s other pass-rushers, there’s a perfect opportunity for him to get back to that 10-plus sack mark again.