SF 49ers will have tough time vs. Eagles Derek Barnett in Week 4

The SF 49ers’ pass-protection efforts haven’t been great this season, and Eagles pass-rusher Derek Barnett could give the Niners fits.

While the 0-2-1 Philadelphia Eagles shouldn’t pose too many problems for the SF 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 4, it’s very possible head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense struggles to move the ball against a still-good Philly defense.

Particularly if the Niners scuffle against the Eagles pass rush.

To date, Philadelphia owns 12 sacks, which ranks third most in the league through three weeks. Granted, sacks don’t automatically translate into wins, as the Eagles and the 1-2 Washington Football Team (13 sacks) can attest. And eight of those sacks from Philly were against quarterback Joe Burrow and easily the worst offensive line in football, that of the Cincinnati Bengals, in Week 3.

Still, San Francisco hasn’t fared wholly better in pass protection this season. According to Football Outsiders, the SF 49ers offensive line ranks 20th in this category after giving up eight sacks on the season.

While there aren’t too many matchups in this upcoming bout working against the Niners’ favor, this is one area in which the Eagles seem to have the advantage.

Yes, the majority of pass-rushing attention will focus on the weak side of the formation where Philadelphia’s defensive end, Brandon Graham, will frequently line up opposite San Francisco’s left tackle Trent Williams.

But where the pass-rushing battle could be a major weakness is on the other side of the line between right tackle Mike McGlinchey and the Eagles’ other defensive end, Derek Barnett.

Barnett, the fourth-year pro who recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks last season, already has two under his belt in 2020, both coming in the sack fest that was Week 3 against Cincy. On top of the pure sack totals, Barnett is coming off a year in which he recorded 26 quarterback pressures.

Just like San Francisco proved in Week 3 against the New York Giants, it’s not always important to get to the quarterback. Pressure can force hurried throws, and hurried throws often lead to turnovers.

Is Mike McGlinchey the SF 49ers’ biggest pass-blocking liability?

A key reason why Barnett is a worrisome player to watch here isn’t just because of his own prowess, rather the troubling regression McGlinchey has seemingly gone through during the opening weeks of his third year at the pro level.

According to Pro Football Focus, McGlinchey hasn’t given up a sack yet this season. But he’s been tabbed with seven pressures, tied for second most on the team, and he’s also given up a team-high five quarterback hits.

This has equated to a pass-blocking grade of 46.8, which ranks 99th out of the top 100 qualifying tackles so far. In contrast, while not great, McGlinchey’s 2019 pass-blocking grade was 67.1.

It’s pretty evident something is going on here.

Granted, playing alongside a different teammate, right guard Daniel Brunskill, could have caused some problems for San Francisco’s first-round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft. The hope is, of course, this is rectified over time, and McGlinchey re-hones his skills as a pass blocker while keeping his already-good run-blocking abilities at a high level.

But Barnett won’t make that an easy task.

Last week, the Giants managed to pressure quarterback Nick Mullens seven times, and yet he still managed to pass for over 340 yards en route to the one-sided 36-9 victory. The hope here, obviously, is any pass-blocking deficiencies McGlinchey and the rest of San Francisco’s O-line are dealing with can be masked by head coach Kyle Shanahan’s play calling and Mullens, or perhaps a still-injured Jimmy Garoppolo, getting the ball out quickly.

Regardless, Barnett could make this prime-time bout much more challenging for McGlinchey and the SF 49ers this Sunday.