Well, if you’re looking for an early season surprise, the San Francisco 49ers offensive line just landed themselves in the conversation. After just one week of football, Pro Football Focus has them ranked as the seventh-best offensive line unit in the entire league, backing up all that offseason chatter that had them in the top-ten nearly everywhere. They clearly brought the heat against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, delivering a strong showing that has everyone taking notice.
The Left Guard Roller Coaster and Colby’s Rise
For a while now, that left guard spot has been a real headache for the 49ers, practically a revolving door since Aaron Banks took off for Green Bay. Last season, rookie Connor Colby got some reps, but honestly, it was a mixed bag of results. So, going into this offseason, it was a big question mark. They brought in Carver Willis through the draft and signed Robert Jones to amp up the competition, but it was Colby who got the nod down under in Australia. And you know what? He played *very* solid. The stats from that Rams game tell a story, too. Colby was the only guy on the entire line with a PFF Pass Block Win Rate below 90.0%, which is a wild stat on its own. What’s even crazier is that no one on the whole unit gave up more than two pressures. On the run-blocking side, Colby had the highest negatively graded play rate at 35.7%, but get this: he also rocked the highest positively graded play rate as a run-blocker at 21.4%. Talk about a high-variance performance, but it clearly tipped into the “very solid” category for Week 1.
By The Numbers: PFF, SIS, and Blown Blocks
The deep dives into the analytics just keep reinforcing this. PFF putting them at seventh overall after Week 1 is huge, but it’s not just them. SIS Data Hub also believes the 49ers offensive line was absolutely excellent. When you look at the nitty-gritty, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, and that man Connor Colby all notched a zero percent blown-block rate, which is just insane. Even Colton McKivitz and Trent Williams, bona fide studs, only drew two blown blocks each, one on a pass and one on a run. Plus, Brendel, Puni, and Colby are all chilling in the top 12 for total points earned. Now, let’s be real, the Rams were a bit neutralized, and Myles Garrett was sidelined for that game, so there’s always that caveat. But the 49ers should expect performances like this when they stick to their game plan: get the ball out quick and really establish that run game.
Looking Ahead: Can They Keep This Up?
That bump in run blocking is a seriously welcome sight, and it’s getting a boost from this new “dash” or “banana” motion they’re using, which is apparently creating some fresh window dressing and angles. The big question, the one we all have to watch, is whether this level of play can actually continue for the 49ers offensive line. It’s early days, but the hope has to be that this continuity keeps building and cohesion really starts to gel at the perfect time. Because eventually, they’re going to face off against the absolute top defensive units in the NFL, and that’s when we’ll truly see what this unit is made of.
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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