What Looks Like a Risky 49ers Strategy After Bosa’s Injury Might Be the Secret Weapon Against Atlanta.QQ
The 49ers’ blitz rate isn’t nearly as high as it typically is when Nick Bosa is on the shelf.
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh | Logan Bowles/GettyImages
The San Francisco 49ers have been forced to deal with a ridiculous amount of injuries during this 2025 campaign, one of the most notable obviously being the season-ending ACL tear suffered by five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa.
From the moment the Niners made Bosa the second overall pick in the 2019 draft until the second he went down in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, the Ohio State alum ranked fourth among all NFL players in pressure rate (12.1%), fourth in sacks (64.5), second in quarterback hits (168), eighth in sacks created for others (59), and ninth in pass rush win rate (21%). So, there’s really no replacing a guy like that, at least not with one single player.
Now, in the past, the 49ers have simply blitzed more when Bosa is on the shelf. In the 97 games in which he’s appeared between the regular season and postseason, San Francisco blitzed 20 percent of the time. And in the 18 games in which Bosa was sidelined before this latest injury, that number jumped to 31.9 percent. Makes sense, right?
But over the last three weeks, Robert Saleh has gone in a different direction. In Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 49ers blitzed Trevor Lawrence just 15.2% of the time on his 33 dropbacks. Against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5, they blitzed Matthew Stafford only 12.5% of the time.
They did get the number up last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, blitzing Baker Mayfield on 24 percent of his dropbacks, and Saleh might be wise to continue to bump the figure up as the season progresses.
That said, however, he also might be wise to wait until after this week’s Sunday Night Football matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
The 49ers may not want to blitz Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. much, as he’s been better when pressured than when not
Typically, young quarterbacks tend to struggle when facing extra pressure. But second-year signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. has bucked the trend.
On 121 dropbacks this season when opposing defenses don’t send extra rushers, Penix has earned a passer rating of just 80.6, throwing three interceptions and three touchdowns. But on the 51 dropbacks when opponents have blitzed, he’s earned a passer rating of 97.8, throwing just one interception and one touchdown.
Blitz or no blitz, the 49ers, who rank 31st in the league with just seven total sacks on the season, may have trouble getting to Penix no matter what the strategy, as the Falcons have allowed just seven sacks this season, tied for the third-fewest in the NFL behind only the Indianapolis Colts (five) and Denver Broncos (six).
So, again, perhaps Saleh should wait a week before bumping up the blitz percentage to what it typically is when Bosa is out. Besides, in addition to Penix being the anomaly he’s been, the Niners might want more bodies behind the front four when Bijan Robinson inevitably breaks through and starts wreaking his own havoc.
