Why the 49ers’ D-line feels up to the Super Bowl challenge against Patrick Mahomes
John Lynch saw the impact an elite defensive line could have a championship-caliber defense because it happened right in front of him.
The 49ers general manager, of course, was the strong safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they won the Super Bowl after the 2002 season. The strength of that team was its defense as tackle Warren Sapp and edge rusher Simeon Rice set the tone up front, combining for 23 sacks during the regular season and 5.5 in the playoffs.
It’s been no secret Lynch’s philosophy towards San Francisco’s roster this offseason was influenced by that Buccaneers defensive line and how much easier it made things for Tampa Bay’s secondary. It was among the factors that led to the 49ers investing premium capital up front by using the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft on budding star Nick Bosa and trading a second-round pick for Dee Ford, who had 13.0 sacks for the Chiefs in 2018.
It’s is fitting, then, the 49ers will need a strong performance from their sack artists against the reigning MVP in Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl 54 Sunday in Miami.
“They got to wreak havoc each and every week,” Lynch Wednesday in Miami. “And we have dedicated a lot of resources. We’ve been mindful. That was our intention: make a group that was something to be reckoned with every single week.”
49ers defensive line wreaks havoc
It worked.
San Francisco has five former first-round draft picks along the defensive line. The team had 48 sacks during the regular and nine more in two playoff games to reach South Florida. Bosa leads the team with three while it didn’t take long for him to become one of San Francisco’s best all-around players.
The Ohio State alum didn’t miss a game as a rookie after appearing in just three during his final college season. He led all defensive players in Pro Bowl voting and is the favorite to win the Associated Press defensive rookie of the year award.
Bosa joined the 49ers in a unique position. Not only did he have to get his body healthy for the rigors of the NFL following surgery to repair a significant core muscle injury, but he was required to be one of the best players on the team right away, because San Francisco knew it was going to lean heavily on the defensive line to be the strength of the team.
Bosa credited the team’s first-year defensive line coach, Kris Kocurek, who instilled an attacking mentality that wound up being perfect for Bosa’s style.
“He made it pretty clear after rookie minicamp and after OTAs,” Bosa said. “The first thing he said was, ‘If we’re going to go where we want to go this year, it’s going to start with us.’ And when you invest in five first-round picks, it’s a lot money and it’s a lot of jobs at stake. So we knew that if we didn’t play well ... we probably wouldn’t reach the goals that we had.”
Bosa was also placed in an ideal situation. He got to play next to second-team All-Pro tackle DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead, who led the club with 10.0 sacks while being stout against the run. Ford, when healthy, proved to be Bosa’s perfect complement, providing speed off the opposite edge and the versatility to align over guards so they flummox offensive lines with two-man stunts and twists.
Bosa was asked about the pressure heaped on him by Kocurek in his first season, given he had never played a down as a pro.
“It would be tough for a rookie,” Bosa said, but “(My teammates) make things a lot easier.”
Bosa makes 49ers a Super Bowl contender
In fact, the moment the 49ers drafted Bosa in April was the first time CEO Jed York thought a Super Bowl run would be possible, even after the team went 10-22 combined the last two seasons as the defense struggled.
“That was something that was really, really important for Kyle (Shanahan) was to have a Super Bowl caliber defensive line,” York said. “And when you bring Dee in through trade/free agency and you’re fortunate enough to have a player there like Nick when you’re drafting second, then you knew you had a chance. That’s kind of when it sort of hit for me.”
San Francisco in the regular season was the NFL’s only team to have four players with 6.5 sacks. Buckner, who is eligible for a new contract during the coming offseason, is the steady leader of the group. Bosa is the star rookie. Ford is the artistic veteran who spends time away from football learning instruments and building an impressive collection of guitars. Armstead is quiet, hyper-athletic former basketball player who regularly gives back to the community in his home town of Elk Grove.
Together, they all embraced the message put upon them by Lynch and Kocurek to become the strength of the roster in their first season together as a collective.
“We knew there was going to be a lot on our shoulders and everything was going to start with us,” Buckner said. “Our energy, our mindset and mentality. And we wanted to put that weight on our shoulders and take on that challenge. And I feel like we’ve done a really good job this year of taking on that challenge.”
Defense overshadowed by Garoppolo
So much of the discussion surrounding the 49ers in training camp was about the return of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from his left ACL injury that cost him the final 13 games of 2018. Garoppolo’s practices were heavily scrutinized.
Even if the defense played well during the summer, the stories written were often about Garoppolo struggling as an ominous sign for the franchise quarterback. He had one practice where he threw interceptions on five straight plays during full team drills. Though an under-reported aspect of that sequence was the pressure heaped on Garoppolo by the defensive line.
“From the moment that we hit the ground running in OTAs and training camp, it was different. It was a different animal across from us,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “Kocurek has those guys completely bought into the style of play that they’ve played with. ... I’m thankful every day that I don’t have to see them on Sundays because I see what they do to really, really good players that I respect across the league who have had success. It’s truly remarkable. And we don’t have a guy that lights up 15-16 sacks because it’s like a race for who’s getting back there first.”
Which is why Sunday’s Super Bowl is such an intriguing matchup. It’s the NFL’s best defensive line against the NFL’s best quarterback.
A win for San Francisco would elevate Bosa, Buckner, Armstead and Ford to legendary heights.
“If you want to be the best, you got to beat the best,” Buckner said. “And they’re the best in the game right now. And I feel like as a unit, as a team, we love taking on those challenges.”
