How the 49ers Defense Matches up Well With the Bills

Defeating the Bills on the road will be extremely difficult for the 49ers, but they do have a favorable matchup on defense.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) is sacked by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Leonard Floyd (56) during their football game Sunday, November 24, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. / Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Defeating the Buffalo Bills on the road will be extremely difficult for the San Francisco 49ers.

Going to the East Coast when it is going to be freezing favors the Bills. The 49ers will also be facing the Bills coming off of a Bye week, so that doesn't help either. However, there is one element where the 49ers might have the upper hand and it resides on their defensive side.

The 49ers defense matches up well with the Bills offense. It's crazy to fathom initially considering they have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Josh Allen. But the reason they could be on par with the Bills is because of how their defense is stylistically.

Their style is rushing four and dropping seven into coverage. No other defense does that more than the 49ers, who use it 80.5 percent of the time. This has been a core part of the 49ers' defense for years, and it's been effective for the 49ers this year more times than not.

Calling blitzes isn't what they like to do. They've dialed up a blitz on just 17.4 percent of dropbacks this season, the second-lowest rate in the NFL. Allen will be hoping the 49ers call more blitzes because he thrives on that as opposed to when it's not.

Whenever defenses drop seven back in coverage, it gives Allen some issues. When not blitzed, Allen has thrown for 1,730 yards (7.1 per attempt), 6 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and recorded an 88.3 passer rating, per Next Gen Stats. This is how the 49ers match up well and give Allen some fits.

He struggles against defenses that don't blitz and just sit back in coverage. That is what the 49ers' defense is all about, so a weakness of Allen plays into their wheelhouse. The 49ers are
generating pressure on 35.5 percent when they rush four, the seventh-highest in the NFL.

The 49ers have also recorded 24 sacks using four pass rushers in 2024, tied for the fourth-most in the league. It's a no-brainer to keep the defense how it is against Allen, but defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen may feel the need to call the blitz more. Nick Bosa might not be active for this game.

He's been their driving force when it comes to generating a pass rush. Sorensen could end up calling some more blitzes to make up for Bosa's loss, but that is ill-advisable for him. Even if the pass rush isn't too effective, blitzing Allen would be a grave mistake. He feasts on those play calls.

Allen has thrown for 813 yards (8.6 per attempt), 12 touchdowns, and 1 interception against the blitz this season, the most touchdowns against the blitz in the NFL. Allen has also generated the third-most EPA (+32.2) and fifth-highest passer rating (121.2) against the blitz in 2024.

Sorensen needs to avoid the blitz for the vast majority of the game. And if he does call it up, then he better hope they get home or Allen will make them pay. This won't be an easy game for the 49ers, but at least they can find comfort that their strength on defense gives them a bit of a chance.