49ers vs. Seahawks: 5 Niners who must bounce back in Week 4
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers EDGE Dee Ford
A big way to alleviate the concerns the Niners have within their secondary is to take pressure off of it. And the best way to do that against any quarterback is to apply pressure itself.
EDGE Dee Ford, who was a massive difference-maker over the first two weeks with seven pressures and a sack, was noticeably quiet in Week 3 against the Packers, failing to pressure Aaron Rodgers and not looking like the perfect complementary piece to fellow EDGE Nick Bosa.
Getting after Russell Wilson has long since been a challenge for San Francisco, and it’s fair to assume Bosa can’t do it all alone. Green Bay effectively chip-blocked Bosa a ton in Week 3, and one can surely assume Seattle paid close attention to how this largely negated Bosa’s own pass-rushing efforts.
If this happens again, and it likely will, Ford will need to pick up the slack.
Fortunately enough, the Seahawks offensive line has already surrendered eight sacks on Wilson this season, including three apiece during their first two games of the year against notably inferior pass-rushes.
Should the 49ers get back on track, defensively, it’ll have to start at the line of scrimmage, and Ford will have to be a major reason why.