The 49ers didn’t register a sack against the Rams, but the pressure they created still told a very different story.
San Francisco finished Week 1 with eight quarterback hits in the win over Los Angeles, a figure that already accounts for 13 percent of their entire 2025 total of 58 hits. That kind of jump matters, especially after a Week 1 showing last season at Seattle, when the 49ers had 10 hits but no one on the defense finished with more than two.
Against the Rams, Osa Odighizuwa was the centerpiece. Depending on where you check the numbers, he was credited with four or three of those eight hits, and he also logged five pressures. Either way, he was a constant problem inside and exactly the kind of disruptive presence San Francisco has been missing.
That kind of interior push changes everything behind it. With the quarterback forced off his spot and denied time in the pocket, the secondary gets a much cleaner job. The 49ers have already seen how that works, and the effect was easy to spot against Matthew Stafford.
There’s still plenty left to sort through, and one game doesn’t settle anything. Alfred Collins is out for the season, and the defense could have another gear once Mykel Williams comes off the physically unable to perform list, assuming he ramps up without issue. Add Nick Bosa back into the mix, and there’s a real path for the pass rush to keep the back end in better shape.
That matters for a secondary that had just six interceptions in 2025. The first one came on Thursday, and if the pressure keeps coming, more chances should follow.
In Other News...
Christian McCaffrey Shared The Australia Moment He Never Saw Coming
Christian McCaffreys first trip to Australia for the 49ers season opener gave him more than a win over the Rams. After the game in Melbourne, he spent part of his postgame session talking about the lighter side of the trip, from the local coffee to a barber who gave his haircut a review that caught him off guard. It was the kind of off-field moment that usually gets lost in a long road trip, except this one had enough charm to stick.
McCaffrey said the barber called the cut cracker, Australian slang for excellent, and he seemed to enjoy the brief culture lesson as much as the coffee. For a player whose production still mattered in San Franciscos victory, it was a reminder that the teams first game abroad came with a little more texture than the scoreboard alone showed. The football part was straightforward enough, but the travel story added a different kind of memory to the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Young Just Sent 49ers Fans A Strong Week 1 Message
The 49ers opened the season with a convincing 27-7 win over the Rams, the kind of early statement that can make a team look every bit like a contender. It also gave fans a first glimpse of what this group can be when the roster is intact, with the usual mix of talent, depth and big-game expectations attached to it.
Steve Youngs postgame message served as a reminder that the real challenge for San Francisco is rarely about upside. The former quarterback pointed to the obvious strength of the roster while noting how often injuries have complicated things for this team, which is why the path to another Super Bowl run still has to be handled week by week. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Found An International Edge Rams Fans Hate
The 49ers did not just show up in Australia for a game, they treated the trip like a chance to make a first impression that could last. While the Rams opted to arrive late for their NFL date down under, San Francisco got there early and worked the local scene, a contrast that gave the 49ers a chance to feel less like visitors and more like a team willing to meet the country halfway.
For a franchise always looking to widen its reach, that kind of approach matters. It helped the 49ers build more support in Australia while leaving the Rams to wonder whether they had passed on a rare opportunity to grow a fanbase in a market still figuring out which NFL team to adopt. [Read more 🡒]