The San Francisco 49ers' pass rush wasn't exactly horrible when they soundly defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Australia for Week 1. Despite recording zero sacks, L.A. quarterback Matthew Stafford was regularly under pressure and duress.
Things are likely to get way easier when the lowly Miami Dolphins come to Levi's Stadium in Week 2.
Way easier.
Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis took five sacks in Miami's Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders a week ago, one of three signal-callers around the league (the Cleveland Browns' Deshaun Watson and the New Orleans Saints' Tyler Shough being the other two) who now lead the NFL in being taken down.
And while the Raiders boast a proficient edge-rushing duo of Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye, it's a stretch to say Vegas' defense is anywhere close to being elite.
The Niners, who boasted a league-low 20 sacks this year and are coming off a zero-sack performance down under, should be salivating at the opportunity to take down Willis.
Malik Willis' Dolphins should hand 49ers a golden shot at sacks
Willis' mobility—he rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown in Week 1—is certainly a threat and X-factor for San Francisco, but those efforts can frequently lead to him running into sacks, too, especially if he's aiming to use his legs to extend plays behind the line of scrimmage.
On top of that, as Phin Fantaic's Brian Miller pointed out, the Dolphins' hurler already showed a tendency to hold onto the ball for a bit too long:
There were also missed opportunities because of poor decisions. Sacks that shouldn't have happened because he held the ball too long. Willis needs to develop better awareness, especially when he is outside of the pocket. If it's not there, it's o.k. to throw it away.
An average of 3.21 seconds, per Next Gen Stats, fourth highest from Week 1 QBs. Coupled with a shaky offensive line, which is still in the early stages of Miami's hefty rebuild, that could be a recipe for several 49ers sacks this Sunday.
The primary beneficiary, at least from the Niners' vantage point, should be veteran defensive end Nick Bosa, who recorded several pressures on Stafford a week ago. But the interior disruption from defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, a massive Week 1 pass-rushing force, might actually be the X-factor to watch.
Sure, Odighizuwa might not notch the sacks. But if he clears Willis from the pocket regularly, a tandem of Bosa and rookie edge rusher Romello Height certainly stand to benefit.
Well rested and readjusted from their return back from Australia, San Francisco should have no excuse and every opportunity to pad some sack stats against a sack-prone Willis and his upfront blockers in Week 2.
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