Facing Lamar Jackson presents a significant challenge for the San Francisco 49ers' defense on Monday night. The versatile Baltimore Ravens quarterback has accumulated 3,105 passing yards and leads the team with 741 rushing yards, finding the end zone five times while carrying the football.
The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Nick Bosa, addressed reporters before the 49ers' first practice of the week, discussing the challenges of dealing with Jackson in a crucial late-season interconference matchup.
Regarding the plan against the Ravens' MVP candidate, Bosa stated, "Just taking him out of his comfort zone, taking the space out of his run game stuff, and he's their top rusher, so yeah, just making him uncomfortable in the pass game."
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Without revealing too many details, Bosa acknowledged that the strategy against Jackson might differ from the approach used against other mobile quarterbacks this season, such as Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray. Containment was the goal against those two playmakers.
While containment will likely remain a goal against the Ravens, the defensive front aims to apply pressure while ensuring proper tackling to prevent Jackson from escaping and making plays.
Linebacker Fred Warner has noticed a significant improvement in Jackson's play since the 49ers last faced the quarterback in 2019.
"When he is running, yeah, he can hurt you with his legs, but he can also hurt you by running [and] then look down the field and throw an explosive pass on you, that sort of thing," Warner explained. "And him being more aware of wanting to stay in the pocket and deliver the football to the receivers, playmakers.
"So you can't just sit there and say, 'Hey, just hold him in the pocket. Don't let him get loose.' You hold him in the pocket, and you don't apply pressure, then he's going to hit you deep. So that's where it's like, we got to be on top of every little detail this week."
Tackling has become a concern for the defense in recent weeks. Pro Football Focus credited the unit with 16 missed tackles against the Cardinals, marking their highest total of the season. Over the last three games, the defense has recorded 42 missed tackles. That needs to improve on Monday night if the 49ers hope to emerge with a victory.
Bosa added, "Obviously, everybody's grinding this time of year. You feel different each week. There's definitely a few plays last week that we'd like to have back, and it would have looked a lot better on the stat sheet. But we watched the tape, and we don't feel it was as bad as the stat sheet says. So we're just onto the next and learning from that the best we can."