This past weekend, the San Francisco 49ers had a rough go of it at work as they found it difficult to win a close game against the Los Angeles Rams, falling short 27-24 to drop to 1-2.
Though the 49ers committed some expensive penalties, the Rams stuck to their run game and used similar strategies to take advantage of San Francisco, while the offense struggled more due to undermanned defense.
Even though Kyren Williams only gained 89 yards and two touchdowns on 24 attempts, he was able to move the chains for the Rams, who were determined to increase their ground game against the 49ers, even if he only gained four yards per carry.
When re-watching the film, it is clear that the 49ers need a major change defensively.
For years, the 49ers have worked off the “Wide 9” defensive front as the baseline to their defense, which creates more space for their front four, helping the pass rush in their search to get to the quarterback.
With the space up front that is provided, San Francisco needed a big-bodied defensive tackle to occupy the A gap and help take away the run, otherwise; teams could take advantage by using doubles to free up space up the middle for solid gains.
And things worked for the 49ers, as they had D.J. Jones, DeForest Buckner, and Arik Armstead at different times occupying that role, allowing for the team to fare well in the run game, while being an elite-level pass rush.
That kind of defensive tackle isn’t available to the 49ers this season, and some of their best choices have shown themselves vulnerable to the run game. To form a potent pass-rushing tandem up the middle with Javon Hargrave, San Francisco acquired Maliek Collins through trade.
In this most recent game, both players were able to successfully defend against pass protection, resulting in ten pressures combined between them. This demonstrated the 49ers’ vision for the game.
However, San Francisco found it difficult to stop the Rams’ offensive line from opening up big holes that resulted in reliable gains, which allowed them to consistently move the chains.
That, in part, is due to the “Wide 9” structure, as the 49ers are getting beat due to the fact that they don’t have a run-stuffing, space-eating defensive tackle up the middle, but rather two good pass-rushers in those roles instead.
It’s unfortunate because San Francisco needs those pass-rushers, given that they aren’t getting much production from free-agent signee Leonard Floyd, who is winning less than six percent of his reps this year, and has just one pressure over the last two games.
Now, Hargrave is expected to miss the year, creating an even bigger issue, as the 49ers have already proven to be susceptible to the run and they could face issues with their pass rush as well now.
Will the 49ers look to make a change with their defensive fronts and shy away from the norm they’ve established over the past few years? It seems that the Javon Hargrave injury could finally tilt their hand into doing so.
“You need to make preparations for [making changes], and we do during Javon’s visit. Regarding the pass rush, Kyle Shanahan remarked, “You would love to always get there with front four.” That is the objective. It is far more difficult for the offense to get there with four players and seven defenders in coverage. If it isn’t possible, though, you’ll have to mix things around.
“We changed it up all year long. The quarterback was, in my opinion, most impacted by our D-Line last week out of the three games they played. They played one of their better games, in my opinion. But losing Javon is a significant loss.
At the moment, it feels that the 49ers are going to have to change things schematically. In an effort to stop the run, it seems that space-eating defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, whom San Francisco signed to a two-year, $10 million deal, is next in line for snaps.
He should help the run defense, but that comes at the expense of his struggles with rushing the passer. Elliott has just one pressure on 36 pass-rushing snaps this year. That would clear inconsistencies with two positions along the defensive line, with the No. 2 defensive end spot also struggling to create pressure consistently.
So, the 49ers need to make a change defensively. But, they honestly may not start to see major results until they make a move for a player midseason. It feels that their current assortment of players hasn’t met the standard for their normal defensive line play, and San Francisco will need to change that if 2024 is truly an all-in year.
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