Through four games, the 49ers have stacked up nearly everything you’d want in a Super Bowl favorite. They’re undefeated.
They have the highest-rated quarterback in the NFL. They’ve got future Hall of Famers at left tackle, running back, tight end, wide receiver and linebacker.
The coaching staff is loaded, the roster is deep, and there’s still enough cap space and draft capital to swing a major move before the deadline.
And yet, there’s still one obvious hole in the picture.
The 49ers don’t have the kind of pass rush that usually travels with a championship team.
That was supposed to be one of the major goals for general manager John Lynch coming into the season. Before the year began, he said he wanted the 49ers to have a dominant defensive line.
So far, that hasn’t happened. The defense has been good, but the pressure up front has not matched the standard Lynch set.
The numbers tell the story. San Francisco has only six sacks, which is seventh-fewest in the league.
Osa Odighizuwa, the team’s big offseason addition, has not recorded a sack. Without that disruption, the 49ers have just one interception this season.
They aren’t forcing quarterbacks into mistakes the way elite defenses do, and that’s a problem when the opponent is someone like Patrick Mahomes.
Maybe that changes when Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams are back. Maybe it changes if Lynch makes a serious move and lands a pass rusher such as Khalil Mack. If those things happen, the 49ers could suddenly look complete.
But that’s still a lot of “maybe.”
Lynch hasn’t made the big move yet, and Williams may need time even after he returns. He missed the entire offseason and, even if the knee is healthy, he isn’t close to football shape right now. The 49ers can’t count on instant impact there.
Bosa is the bigger question. On Monday, Kyle Shanahan told the media on a conference call that Bosa would not play Sunday against the Seahawks, and he didn’t even wait until Wednesday’s first practice to see how Bosa’s injured calf responded. That’s not a great sign for a defense that needs its best edge presence.
There’s also reason to be cautious about expecting Bosa to simply snap back into form. He’s coming off his second ACL tear in the same knee, and that kind of recovery usually takes 12-18 months.
So far this season, he hasn’t shown he can fully practice or get through more than two games in a row without getting hurt again. Until he proves otherwise, the safest assumption is that the 49ers won’t get a full version of him this year.
That leaves San Francisco with a clear need and a clear deadline to address it. Williams is an interior rusher, not an edge rusher, and Bosa may not be right for a while. If the 49ers want to turn a strong start into a true championship run, they need help off the edge.
The trade deadline should tell the story. If the 49ers are serious about chasing a Super Bowl this season, how they handle that moment will say plenty.
In Other News...
49ers Escape Denver With A Bigger Concern Heading Into Seattle
The 49ers left Denver with a win, but the bigger storyline may have been what came out of the game physically. San Francisco had already taken a hit in a hard-fought afternoon, and the injury list kept growing as the game wore on, with several players forced to exit before the final whistle.
The most notable concern centers on fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who injured his knee and is preliminarily believed to have a sprain with an intact ACL, pending MRI results. Safety Marques Sigle and cornerback Upton Stout also left with injuries, though none of the early signs point to anything season-ending, leaving the 49ers waiting on more clarity as they turn their attention to Seattle. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Win Still Left Kyle Shanahan With An Uncomfortable Debate
Kyle Shanahans name now sits alone atop a franchise list that once belonged to Bill Walsh, a milestone that would normally define a victory lap for any 49ers coach. Instead, it came in a 24-14 win over the Broncos that felt more like a reminder of how San Francisco is being carried right now, with the defense doing the heavy lifting while Brock Purdy and the offense worked through a flatter afternoon than the team has been used to.
The 49ers still moved the ball well enough to finish with 358 yards and they stayed efficient enough on third down, going 6 of 13 without turning it over. But for a coach who just passed a legend and for an offense that had already set a higher bar earlier in the season, the bigger question coming out of the game was not the record book moment. It was how much Shanahan trusts this version of the offense to find its rhythm again before the schedule starts demanding it. [Read more 🡒]
Dre Greenlaw Had A Personal Message For Sean Payton Sunday
Dre Greenlaw had a little extra edge Sunday in the 49ers matchup with Denver, and it showed in a moment that quickly made the rounds. The linebacker, now back in San Francisco on a one-year contract, was caught on camera telling Broncos coach Sean Payton that Denver made a mistake letting him go after injuries cut short his run there.
For the 49ers, it was another reminder that Greenlaw is not just back, he matters to their defense in a big way. After spending the previous season with the Broncos, he has reestablished himself as an important piece in San Francisco, and the message he delivered Sunday carried the kind of personal sting that tends to follow a player who felt he had something to prove. [Read more 🡒]