Why the 49ers Could Start to Dial up More Blitzes

Head coach Kyle Shanahan possibly hinted that the 49ers could start to dial up more blitzes going forward.

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (94) tackles Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers took more than one loss in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams. Starting defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who had an incredible performance, tore his triceps in the game.

He will be out for the regular season as the 49ers have placed him on Injured Reserve. There is a faint chance of him returning, but that is only if the 49ers make it far into the playoffs. The 49ers will now have to make do without their second-best defensive lineman.

Being without Hargrave will be tough for the 49ers. He played a large role in the 49ers being able to drop seven players into coverage. That is how they generally like to play their defense. Rush four and drop everyone else with the occasional blitzing. But now that Hargrave is out, it becomes increasingly difficult to generate pressure with four.

Adding a player who can help shrink the hole left by Hargrave is highly unlikely, and the 49ers don't have anyone on the roster who can do that either. That means the 49ers will need to generate pressures another way, which is why they could start to dial up more blitzes. Head coach Kyle Shanahan hinted at that during his press conference on Wednesday.

“You would love to always get there with the front four. That's the goal. Getting there with four and having seven guys in coverage makes it a lot harder for the offense," said Shanahan. "But if you can't do that, you’ve got to mix it up. We mixed it up throughout the year. I thought our D-Line last week affected the quarterback the most that they had in their three games. I thought that they had one of their better games. But it's a huge loss, losing Javon. Guys are going to have to step it up and when you don't have the rush, then you’ve got to turn to other things schematically.”

Blitzing might be the only option for the 49ers to generate pressure. So far, their secondary hasn't demonstrated to be adequate in coverage to allow efficient pass rushing. Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen could start calling upon Talanoa Hufanga for that.

Before he tore his ACL, he was extremely successful in blitzing. He always got the timing spot on. Perhaps he is who the 49ers look at to blitz along with the linebackers. Fred Warner is adept at it, but taking him out of coverage isn't ideal.

Shanahan is spot on that the 49ers are going to have to mix it up to mitigate Hargrave's loss, especially if no one on the defensive line can shrink some of his absence.