5 overreactions from SF 49ers win over NY Giants in Week 3
Overreaction No. 4: The SF 49ers don’t need Nick Bosa or Dee Ford to dominate the trenches
EDGE Nick Bosa is out for the year. Fellow EDGE Dee Ford is out indefinitely with a back issue. The definitive strength of the SF 49ers is now a major question mark.
Yet against the Giants, the defensive line put on quite a performance. They engulfed the Giants rushing attack, sans Daniel Jones scrambles which is a mess of its own, and although they only had two sacks, there was constant pressure.
It looked like the defensive line of last year at times.
An NFL NextGen statistic called average separation from QB essentially cites the presence of defensive linemen to a quarterback. It might not be a pressure or a sack, but it is a push from the defensive line that can cause mistakes.
Against the Giants, the 49ers across the board were better than league average.
Now the Giants offensive line is not good, really at any position. But Kerry Hyder Jr, the premiere edge rusher with all the injuries, still was active and put forth a good showing. EDGE Dion Jordan, picked up from the practice squad, played quite well and added a sack. Defensive tackle Arik Armstead may not be statistically showing the same dominance as last year, but his play has been above average. The rookie, Javon Kinlaw, is doing his part as he continues to learn on the fly. The other depth pieces of the 49ers defensive line are chipping in when necessary.
Their run defense, at least when not dealing with quarterbacks, has been great, and the pass rush hasn’t fallen to pre-Bosa levels of terrible. However, in this situation, context is the most necessary. The 49ers may be able to field a competent defensive line rotation and garner some pressure, but this is not a dominating unit.
Bosa creates pressure almost instantly. Ford, when healthy, finishes off plays the Niners aren’t finishing right now.
The effort is valiant, but this SF 49ers defensive line won’t be dominating like last year.