Hold up, did you just see what our rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, pulled off in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams? Zero sacks. A big goose egg. But don’t let that number fool you. The Niners still hammered the Rams for eight quarterback hits. That’s a wild 13 percent of their *entire* 2025 season total! Their defense only managed a paltry 58 hits all year. Talk about a jump!
Osa Odighizuwa: The Wrecking Ball Nobody in the Bay Saw Coming
This dude Osa Odighizuwa was a force of nature in his 49ers debut. Let’s rewind to their 2025 Week 1: the *entire* defense generated just two hits and a single sack. Fast forward to *this* 2026 Week 1, and Odighizuwa, all by himself, dropped four , or maybe three , of those eight hits. That’s not even counting the five pressures he generated! He was an absolute problem for Matthew Stafford, looking like the team’s best pass-rusher with a 74.3 PFF pass-rush grade and a 22.2% pass-rush win rate. Bradley Locker on X even pointed out Raheem Morris was using him on twists, messing with Stafford’s comfort. Remember when the Niners came to Lumen Field in 2025 and only managed 10 hits on our Seahawks, with no player getting more than two? Odighizuwa just matched almost half of that *by himself* in one game. The 49ers needed a beast like him.
Zero Sacks, But a Huge Boost for the Secondary?
So, when a pass rush creates this much chaos, even without the official sack number, what does it mean? It means the opposing quarterback isn’t chilling in the pocket, picking apart the secondary. Odighizuwa’s quickness and power were causing all sorts of hell for Stafford, and that pressure is a direct lifeline for the defensive backs. Think about it: the 49ers secondary only managed six interceptions all of 2025. This year, they already nabbed their first one on Thursday. That’s a major step if they keep this relentless pressure up. Sure, Alfred Collins is out for the season, but if Mykel Williams can get ramped up off the PUP list, there’s even more room for them to improve. Plus, with Nick Bosa back, the 49ers’ secondary has way more help.
Look, it’s just one game. We’re gonna need a much bigger sample size to truly understand how much time they’re actually giving opposing quarterbacks. But for the 49ers, this Odighizuwa acquisition is already paying massive dividends. You gotta wonder if this disruptive energy is the spark they need to finally amp up their pass rush and make some real noise this season. Our rivals might just be on to something.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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