The 49ers are walking into a tougher stretch of the schedule this Sunday in Week 4, and the Denver Broncos bring a different kind of test than the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals did. Denver is a solid defensive team, but the real opening for San Francisco is on the other side of the ball, where quarterback Bo Nix has been vulnerable when defenses heat him up.
That vulnerability is the whole key for the 49ers. With Nick Bosa out, generating a pass rush the usual way becomes a bigger ask, which makes blitzing the cleanest path to disrupting Nix. And this isn’t just theory - it’s already been a problem for him this season.
Nix has been pressured on a career-high 33.3% of his dropbacks this year, in large part because defenses have blitzed him on 38.4% of those snaps. That’s more than 10 percentage points above his 25.2% mark across 2024-2025, according to Next Gen Stats.
The reason is pretty clear: when extra rushers come, Nix has not handled it well. Defenses have figured out that forcing him into chaos can rattle him, and he hasn’t consistently shown he can sort it out once the pressure starts arriving.
The Los Angeles Rams saw that last week, even though they lost the game. Nix finished 4-of-11 for 46 yards with one interception when the Rams got after him. When he had a clean pocket, he looked much more comfortable, completing 13-of-23 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
But under pressure this season, the numbers have been rough. Nix has completed only 33.3% of his passes when pressured, tied for the fourth-lowest mark among qualified quarterbacks. He’s averaging just 2.4 yards per attempt in those situations, third-fewest in the NFL, and he has thrown two interceptions.
Even the way he’s responding to pressure hasn’t changed the outcome much. He’s keeping the ball short when things break down, averaging just 7.3 air yards per target under pressure, which is the third-fewest in the league.
That leaves the 49ers with a simple blueprint: force Nix to either make a mistake or settle for short throws that let defenders close fast and finish the play. Without Bosa, that likely means leaning even harder into pressure packages.
Raheem Morris would not be surprising if he sends more blitzes in this game than he has in the first three weeks. It’s the obvious pressure point, and San Francisco has already been aggressive enough to make that plan workable.
The 49ers’ blitz rate is 27.9%, which ranks 17th in the league, so this is not a defense shy about bringing extra bodies. Expect them to keep doing it early and often to make life miserable for Nix.
In Other News...
49ers Suddenly Have A Jauan Jennings Decision They Never Wanted
Jauan Jennings ended up moving on after he and the 49ers could not reach a long-term agreement, and the former San Francisco receiver signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. For a team that already had to navigate injuries at wideout, the timing was hardly ideal. The 49ers responded by drafting DeZhaun Stribling to help fill the vacancy, but the position has still looked more precarious than planned.
Now the wrinkle the 49ers never wanted is hanging out there anyway: the possibility of a Jennings reunion. There has been speculation about it, even if no official trade talks have been confirmed, and that leaves San Francisco weighing a familiar name against the path it already started down with its younger options. The situation is exactly the kind of midseason personnel question teams try to avoid, especially when the original departure was supposed to settle things, not reopen them. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Are Making A Risky Nick Bosa Decision For A Reason
Nick Bosa and James Thompson are both expected to be sidelined for at least four games, but the 49ers are not planning to place either defender on injured reserve. It is a notable choice for a team already working through a crowded injury situation, especially with eight players currently on IR who are designated to return, which is the most the NFL allows.
For San Francisco, the move keeps the door open on roster flexibility while it manages a stretch shaped by injuries across the defense and beyond. The status of the current IR group already gives the team plenty to monitor in the weeks ahead, and holding Bosa and Thompson off IR adds another layer to a situation that will keep evolving as those return timelines come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
49ers May Need A Bigger Pass-Rush Move Than Fans Expected
The 49ers edge rush has become one of the more pressing issues on a roster that usually builds its identity around pressure up front. With Nick Bosa dealing with injury and the rest of the group providing limited production, San Francisco may be staring at a need that goes beyond the usual depth fix, especially if it wants to keep the defense operating at its usual level.
One name that has surfaced is Khalil Mack, with Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report suggesting the Chargers could be open to moving the veteran pass rusher. Mack still carries the rsum of a multiple-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection, but his one-year deal and looming free agency make him a player with an uncertain future, and for the 49ers the bigger question may be whether a move of that magnitude is the kind of swing their pass rush now requires. [Read more 🡒]