One Area That 49ers DC Nick Sorensen Needs to Improve on

There is one area that 49ers' defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen needs to improve on. If he doesn't, it is going to be a long season.

Jul 25, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen answers questions at a press conference following Day 3 of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Dominating on the defensive side of the ball has been a staple of the San Francisco 49ers since 2019.

However, the last two games have been unrecognizable for the 49ers' defense. They allowed Sam Darnold to carve them up in the loss to the Vikings, then it was the Rams with a bunch of random receivers. In the past, the 49ers' defense would've smothered the Vikings and Rams.

They aren't anywhere near the standard that they are accustomed to. Plenty of areas that need to improve on defense for the 49ers. It starts with defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen. This is his first year in the position and his first time doing it, so it is a work in progress.

But there is one area that Sorensen needs to improve on immediately. That area is matching up his players correctly. There have been multiple plays in the last two games where the 49ers were begging the offense to beat them. Against the Vikings, Sorensen tasked George Odum to line up against Justin Jefferson.

Sure, Odum had teammate Ji'Ayir Brown shadowing over the top. But under no circumstance should Odum ever be the player tasked with defending Jefferson. He is a special teams player who was only in that starting role because Talanoa Hufanga was out. That is a play Sorensen should've never called. Deommodore Lenoir is the player who should've been matched up with the best receiver in football.

Against the Rams, Sorensen had De'Vondre Campbell matched up with running back Kyren Williams in the second quarter. Williams beat Campbell on a simple choice-route. That is a mismatch that anyone can easily identify, so why couldn't Sorensen? He would make the same mistake with Campbell later on in that game.

With 42 seconds left, Campbell got matched up with tight end Colby Parkinson to the far left side of the formation. Matthew Stafford identified the mismatch and targeted Parkinson. Campbell would be flagged for pass interference. It was an abysmal game for Campbell, but it was Sorensen who had him take those matchups.

"I look at myself first," said Sorensen. "And I should, it's my defense, I'm the coordinator, But I take responsibility of that. I think we just all feel that way. That's a cool thing. All us coaches, we’ve got to coach better and players feel that challenge as well for themselves.”

Sorensen needs to be better in this area. He has to identify the optimal matchups with his players. The 49ers don't have the greatest talent as they have in years past on defense, but the least Sorensen can do is not expose their weaknesses with these weak players.

This needs to be corrected starting in Week 4 against the New England Patriots. Otherwise, this will be a long season where the 49ers' defense gets picked apart.