Dee Ford is the Key to Getting the 49ers’ Pass Rush Back on Track

Questions begin to arise whenever an elite team loses to a below average one.

That is what the San Francisco 49ers are experiencing after losing to the Atlanta Falcons this past weekend. One of the questions that has been raised is why the 49ers’ pass rush has fallen off? They aren’t nearly as dominant as they had been for the vast majority of the season. A major factor why is the absence of Dee Ford.

Ford is the key to getting the 49ers’ pass rush back on track.

When asked if getting Ford back would help the pass rush back into their form from the first half of the season, Robert Saleh answered:

“For sure. Dee Ford’s an unbelievable player. Anytime you can add someone like him, it ties everything together. The group though, they’ve been performing, even with Dee being hindered, they’ve been performing.”

Saleh is correct that the pass rushing trio of Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Nick Boa are generating adequate pressure. However, what they have been struggling with is finishing. The 49ers have only managed to accumulate three sacks in the last three games. Whereas the first 11 games they brought in an astounding 44 sacks. Of course, the pass rush was doing an excellent job even without Ford in some of those 11 games that he was absent. So what has changed now?

Simple. It is the insurmountable injuries that the defensive line has suffered. No D.J. Jones. No Ronald Blair. The two players who’s efforts on the defense has been extremely overlooked. Even Julian Taylor and Damontre Moore’ absence has impacted the quality of the defensive line. Plan A, B, C and even D all failed for the 49ers due to injuries. Every contingency made has been erased and at this point in the season there is no other alternatives.

It makes the pressure of the core three without Ford exponentially higher. The fact that they are still creating sufficient pressure is astonishing, but clearly it is impacting them when it comes to finishing. Attrition is everything in the NFL and is actually something that Saleh touched up on in yesterday’s presser. "You know, through attrition you get guys, especially on the D-Line that they’ve gotten a lot of guys out, we’ve got to find ways to get more of a rotation going, especially for those big four.”

The regular season is now down to the final two games with the playoffs right around the corner. Keeping players fresh is key at this point in the season because of all the wear and tear that they have already succumbed to this season. It’s how injuries occur so easily with these players. Unfortunately for the 49ers, they are running out of depth.

That is why Dee Ford is a crucial key to getting the pass rush back on track. There is no longer any breathing room to rely upon any depth players. That just shows how unlucky this team has been with injuries and that’s just the defensive line alone. Getting Ford back into lineup will open everything up again for the defensive line.

With the core four back out there it puts opposing offenses in impossible positions. The over-saturation of talent there -mixed in with the stellar back end coverage is why the 49ers were putting up historic numbers in the first half of the season. As of now, it seems unlikely he returns for week 17 against Seattle. A game that is likely to determine the NFC west champion. Having him back for that game would increase the 49ers’ odds of winning, but given his hamstring injury they must be cautious. Ford’s role is to focus getting healed up for he is the key to getting the pass rush back on track.