Even if star DE Nick Bosa doesn’t play for the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, currently still holding out and awaiting a long-term deal, the 49ers’ defensive line has a ton of notable names. Mike Tomlin talked up the group during his Tuesday press conference and on Tuesday’s edition of NFL Live. Analyst and former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky wondered if Pittsburgh’s o-line could handle the 49ers’ rush.
“Bosa is a massive piece, but they also signed Javon Hargrave,” Orlovsky said. “And I think like if you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, the game is gonna come down to how you handle the interior of this pass rush. The right guard, center, and left guard. If they can’t at least handle in some capacity those two interior rush guys, this is gonna be a long afternoon for Kenny Pickett.”
Hargrave was one of the top free agents who hit the market, signing a four-year, $84 million deal with the 49ers, picking them over the Cleveland Browns. Coming off a career year in which he somehow didn’t make the Pro Bowl, Hargrave posted eleven sacks last season for the Philadelphia Eagles as they went on to have one of the top pass rushing units in NFL history. That included a dominant six-sack performance on Kenny Pickett in Week 8 with Hargrave responsible for a pair of those.
Bosa was responsible for 42 percent of the 49ers’ sacks last season but he’s not the only name to worry about. Arik Armstead is a veteran and former first-rounder who had six sacks two years ago before injuries limited him in 2022. Last year’s second round pick Drake Jackson is an emerging EDGE rusher who picked up three sacks as a rookie despite limited playing time. And while he’s struggled, Javon Kinlaw is another former first-rounder and an impressive athlete to round out the group.
For Orlovsky, the Steelers will have to win one-on-one matchups inside.
“The challenge is, who do you double team and when? Because at some point, one of those d-tackles is gonna get solo’d.”
Pittsburgh made improvements to their interior line with the signing of OG Isaac Seumalo. Kevin Dotson’s replacement at LG, Seumalo is arguably the best upgrade GM Omar Khan made this year. He had a strong and stout summer. Pair that with C Mason Cole and RG James Daniels being in their second year with the team and looking far more comfortable and the Steelers have their best-looking interior line since the days of Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, and David DeCastro.
If Bosa misses, analyst Mina Kimes believes the 49ers could manufacture more pressure.
“I think it’s possible that with Steve Wilkes as the defensive coordinator, they blitz a bit more,” Kimes said.
Last season, the 49ers blitzed just 21.6-percent of the time, according to Pro Football Reference. But that was with Bosa, who went on to lead the league in sacks and win Defensive Player of the Year. As we showed, the 49ers’ fortunes have drastically changed when he’s not in the lineup, similar to the Steelers when they’re without T.J. Watt.
The battle of the trenches will decide which team starts 1-0 and which teams starts 0-1. Pittsburgh’s offensive line and offense looks better than a year ago. Sunday is their first big test.
