The San Francisco 49ers defensive front has struggled to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season, a contributing factor to their disappointing 0-3 start.
On Thursday morning’s edition of Murph & Mac, 49ers beat writer Matt Maiocco shared his thoughts on what the 49ers can do to effectively pressure Carson Palmer when they face the Cardinals this Sunday.
“I think Robert Saleh, I think the defensive staff, maybe they kind of overestimated the quality of their pass rushers. So I think it’s time for Robert Saleh to start dialing up some stuff, and maybe getting more creative with blitz packages and trying to find something to scheme up a pass rush rather than just saying, ok, you four guys, go get the quarterback,” Maiocco said.
As Murph mentioned during the show, the 49ers are tied for 30th in the league in sacks, recording just three in as many games. That statistic may be even more abysmal than it seems, as both the Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are 32nd, have only played two games each this season.
Maiocco also added that pressuring Palmer, who, at 37, lacks the athleticism of younger quarterbacks, will be instrumental in preventing Palmer’s big-play tendencies.
“In this game, especially against Carson Palmer, who doesn’t have great mobility, and who loves to chuck the ball down the field, you know, 30 yards and have Larry Fitzgerald just climb the ladder, go up and get it. I mean, Fitzgerald will have plenty of opportunities to go up and get the ball against kind of a shaky 49ers secondary if that pass rush doesn’t get to Palmer and put some hits on him,” Maiocco said.
The 49ers certainly hope to have a better defensive effort against Palmer and Arizona on Sunday than they did against the Los Angeles Rams last Thursday, when emerging sophomore wunderkind Jared Goff gashed them for 292 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-39 loss.
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Maiocco’s comments about the 49ers pass rush, skip to the 8:30 mark.