The San Francisco 49ers made it a priority to upgrade the defense's pass rush this offseason, and it would seem general manager John Lynch's efforts have paid off. His squad is 5-0 through six weeks of play, sits atop the NFC West standings, and boasts one of the most disruptive pass rushes in the league.
That's not just an opinion. Pro Football Focus' advanced analytics back it up.
Defensive ends Nick Bosa and Dee Ford, both offseason acquisitions by the 49ers, rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, among qualifying NFL defenders when it comes to pass-rushing productivity, according to the analytics site.
The secret is out, the @49ers have a pair of deadly pass rushers.
Pass Rushing Productivity
1. Nick Bosa: 14.3
— PFF SF 49ers (@PFF_49ers) October 15, 2019
2. Dee Ford: 11.8
3. Clay Matthews: 11.5
3. Marcus Davenport: 11.5 pic.twitter.com/2JAvbVLls7
The 49ers used the No. 2 overall pick on Bosa, who played college football at Ohio State. He has 30 total pressures in 119 pass-rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus, and has been officially credited with nine combined tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble through five games this season.
San Francisco sent a 2020 second-round draft pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in March in exchange for Ford. He has 17 total pressures in 89 pass-rush snaps and has been officially credited with seven combined tackles, 3.5 sacks, a pass defensed, and two forced fumbles through five games.
Quarterbacks have been terribly unproductive against the 49ers defense. Most have recorded their lowest Pro Football Focus grade of the season while going against the unit. The lone exception is Andy Dalton, who recorded his second-worst.
Opposing quarterbacks own a combined passer rating of 62.5 against San Francisco. Only the New England Patriots have allowed a lower combined passer rating (42.6).