While it's fair (and arguably correct) to place the brunt of the blame on the San Francisco 49ers offense for the 26-15 defeat at the hands of the Houston Texans, coordinator Robert Saleh's defense isn't exactly absolved from underachievement.
The Niners surrendered 475 yards of total offense, allowing quarterback C.J. Stroud and Co. to go 9-of-16 on third downs, fully dominating the time-of-possession battle.
A key reason? San Francisco can't generate a pass rush.
Granted, it wasn't planned to have such an inept pass rush through eight weeks. But, after losing All-Pro defensive end Nick Bosa to a season-ending ACL tear back in Week 3, the chances of generating regular pressure took a massive hit.
And those chances have only gotten worse in the weeks since, and Week 8 might have been a new low.
Texans fully revealed 49ers' pass-rushing weaknesses in glaring fashion
The 49ers managed zero sacks on Stroud, hitting him only twice in the game. And it wasn't until Saleh started dialing up blitzes that Houston's signal-caller started feeling any legitimate pressure. But that didn't stop him from tossing 318 yards and completing nearly 77 percent of his attempts despite being without his two best wide receivers, Nico Collins and Christian Kirk.
Stroud and his offense exposed the greater problem for the Niners, made only worse by the fact San Francisco's second-best pass-rusher, Bryce Huff, was ruled out for Week 8 with an injury.
To date, the 49ers have a mere 30 quarterback pressures on the year, dead last. In contrast, the Dallas Cowboys have the most with 90. And the Niners' 10.2 pressure rate is also (you guessed it) worst in the league.
True, there are glimmers of hope. San Francisco's top pick from last April's NFL Draft, defensive end Mykel Williams, recorded two pressures on Stroud, and it's reasonable to assume he's only a few steps away from becoming a legitimate pass-rushing threat.
However, the true lack of a pass rush is a problem the 49ers can't cover up any longer.
But, it's not easily solved either. Going after a blue-chip player at the NFL trade deadline is likely to be costly, and it might jeopardize the Niners' plans for getting both younger and cheaper. Yet B- and C-level pass-rushers on the trade market may not be enough to make much of a difference either.
It's a conundrum for Saleh's defense, and there's likely no simple solution anywhere in sight.