The San Francisco 49ers managed precisely zero sacks in their Australian Week 1 regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams.
Without knowing much else, that might seem like a disappointment. But, in light of the Niners' one-sided 27-7 victory in Melbourne, the stat sheet proved to be awfully misleading.
Particularly with how effective defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa was.
San Francisco's offseason trade pickup was particularly effective in creating all kinds of problems against the interior of L.A.'s offensive line. If anything, the former Dallas Cowboys defender helped 49ers fans reminisce of the previous pocket-wrecking forces like defensive tackles DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead—stats might not reveal much, but their presence meant everything.
Odighizuwa was regularly in the backfield, frequently forcing Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to force his throws. With less time for his routes to develop, Stafford was hastened into throws that ultimately led to him going 15-of-25 for just 155 yards.
Osa Odighizuwa's stats are impressive, but his tape is even better
The Niners' failure to record a sack isn't an indication of the pass rush's failure. They generated eight hits on Stafford, four of which were from Odighizuwa. Additionally, he logged five pressures on Los Angeles' signal-caller.
In light of how shoddy San Francisco's pass rush was a year ago, this has to be a pleasant development.
Osa Odighizuwa had a 22.2% pressure rate vs. the Rams. That would've been the third highest number for any 49ers pass rusher in any '25 game.
— Kyle Posey (@KP_Show) September 11, 2026
Odighizuwa is more than half of the way to the majority of the DTs total pressures on the roster from a year ago after one game.
Additionally, this cut-up of some of Odighizuwa's best plays from last Thursday help illustrate the kind of difference his presence made.
It's worth the watch and helps explain why dominant interior pressure is arguably better than an elite edge rush—defensive end Nick Bosa, in contrast, had one quarterback hit in the affair.
Perhaps it also explains why San Francisco didn't panic when a sizable number of pundits and analysts suggested general manager John Lynch and Co. go out and land another edge rusher to pair with Bosa, specifically when names like Joey Bosa, Leonard Floyd and others were available. If anything, maybe they understood Odighizuwa could provide the difference, just from the interior instead of on the outside.
Sure, it's just one game out of many. And the Rams could've certainly been influenced by their travel plans, too.
Still, the one game of evidence is big enough an indicator that Odighizuwa will be a major difference maker for the 49ers defense, and he ultimately played a major role in holding L.A.'s vaunted offense to just seven points in Week 1.
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