San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams is the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL. He has the important job of protecting the quarterback’s blindside and has certainly earned the contract that he is playing under.
Trent Williams is one of the best left tackles that the league has ever seen. He was named to the Pro Bowl team for the 10th consecutive season in 2022 and landed on the All-Pro First Team for the second straight year.
In the playoffs, all eyes are on him as he is normally matched up with the most vaunted pass rusher on the opposing team. During the Divisional Round, that meant attempting to slow down Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker, Micah Parsons.
Since coming into the league out of Penn State in 2021, Parsons has cemented himself as one of the premier pass rushers. He has 26.5 sacks in his first two seasons combined to go along with 57 quarterback hits. Slowing him down is no easy task, but Trent Williams was up for the challenge on Sunday evening.
The two superstars were matched up periodically throughout the game and Trent Williams was able to get the best of Parsons. According to PFF, they faced off in a pass-blocking situation for 15 snaps. Parsons was held to one quarterback pressure out on those plays.
It was a stellar performance by Trent Williams, which has become the norm. The 49ers are confident that he can match up against and win against any pass rusher in the league and he proved that once again with his play against Parsons.
Holding up in pass protection is very important, but when you have a seventh-round rookie quarterback in Brock Purdy under center, it is even more imperative. San Francisco needs their stars such as Trent Williams to play up to their potential to help Purdy along and thus far they have answered the call.
The job is far from over, however, as the 49ers will now be facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Trent Williams will once again have his hands full as the Eagles had four players, Haason Reddick, Javon Hargrave, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham all register 10+ sacks during the regular season.
