The San Francisco 49ers secured a decisive victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday and hope to carry that momentum into Monday night's matchup with the Carolina Panthers. In the desert, the 49ers controlled a multi-possession lead for more than 48 of the game's 60 minutes. Still, one persistent issue continues to stand out—the inconsistent pass rush.
That's not to say the 49ers' defense failed to generate pressure. The unit recorded 13 total pressures but didn't register a sack for the third time this season. That's particularly frustrating considering quarterback Jacoby Brissett dropped back 57 times and completed an NFL record 47 passes.
As a team, the 49ers have just 12 sacks this season, ranking last in the NFL. In fact, two individual players—Myles Garrett and Brian Burns—each have more sacks than the entire 49ers defense.
General manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Friday and was asked what the team can do to reverse this troubling trend.
"We've just got to continue to put ourselves in situations, and then finish them," Lynch said. "Actually, you go back and watch that game, and I was a little bothered as the game was going on. You throw it 57 times, and we're not able to bring him down. First of all, I would say Brissett played a really good game within the pocket.
"The other thing I would say, probably the more important thing than sacks—sacks are a byproduct—are you around the quarterback? Are you pressuring him? And I thought we did pressure him. When you go back and watch the film, sometimes you're surprised, and we were. Our guys rushed well. Now, we've got to do it a little better collectively. It's tying rush and coverage together."
Lynch remains confident the production will improve.
"So we just need to tighten up our details, and I believe they'll start to come," he continued. "And I think I'll continue to believe that because I see the effort going on. And we'll talk about that at the end of the season, if that hasn't changed. But I'd be surprised if it doesn't, the way we were around the quarterback. Now, we've just got to bring him down."
Lynch also addressed the 49ers' lack of interceptions, which has contributed to their low takeaway numbers. San Francisco has just three interceptions this season—only the New York Jets have fewer. Two of those came on Sunday against Brissett, helping propel the 49ers to victory.
"Our guys did a great job getting the ball the other day," Lynch said. "To get three turnovers (CB Upton Stout forced a fumble), then to protect the ball the way we did, that's the way you put 40 points up on the board. They say about turnovers, they come in bunches, and we need to keep that going."
While Lynch acknowledged the defense was far from dominant against Arizona, he sees enough encouraging signs to believe the unit can improve as the season progresses.
"Are we going to be the defense we could have been with [DE Nick] Bosa and [LB] Fred [Warner] (both out for the season)? Probably not," Lynch said. "Those guys are difference makers. But can we still be really good and find a way to get A little better each week? I believe we can, and I believe we will, because we're well coached and our guys have a lot of character."