San Francisco 49ers: 3 Ways the 49ers Defense Can Minimize Patrick Mahomes

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The Pass Rush has to get there

“No duh!” right? A pass rush is the key to disrupting any quarterbacks mojo. However, outside of defensive end DeForest Buckner the San Francisco 49ers don’t have a pass rush. Buckner is gonna get his, he just needs help from his teammates. I don’t see Robert Saleh dialing up too many blitzes this game because of the threat of Tyreek Hill. The depth behind Buckner and the rest of the front four needs to win their one on one match ups. Mahomes hasn’t faced any real pressure in his two games. He’s only been taken down twice, so the 49ers have to get him.

It’s not just to execute a negative play on the Chiefs end, but to potentially rattle his cage. Since Mahomes has hardly hit the grass, his response to facing constant pressure is a mystery. Will pressure cause him to make mental errors? That mystery can be solved by this 49ers pass rush on Sunday. They should at least aim to collapse the pocket or make him rush some throws. Mahomes is a mobile quarterback, so he can evade the pass rush at times. That same strength could be a weakness if the 49ers get to him enough.

If he’s getting hit a lot, he may want to start tucking the football a lot earlier before letting the routes develop. It’s a real toss up, but I like the chances of Mahomes playing errant if he’s being hit a lot. Like I said, he hasn’t had enough pressure to even make him feel uncomfortable. Remember, this will be Mahomes fourth game as a starter, so he’s practically a rookie. The 49ers pass rush has to hit him and hit him hard. Make him think twice about holding that football for too long.

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