San Francisco Needs To Blitz Aaron Rodgers Heavily If They Want To Slow Him Down
By Michael Luciano
During last year's close loss on Monday Night Football, the San Francisco 49ers might have inadvertently discovered a blueprint for slowing down Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers' passing game.
Blitzing Rodgers is normally a death sentence, as it leaves less players in coverage, but there are two major reasons that this could work, the first being that when defensive coordinator Robert Saleh cranked up the pressure in last year's meeting, Rodgers was rendered ineffective for seven straight possessions.
Summary of last year's 49ers-Packers game: Rodgers burned SF early, then Saleh shut him down for 7 straight possessions by blitzing more heavily than usual, then — after the 49ers offense failed — Rodgers figured out the blitzes and beat them. Pre-edge rush, obviously.
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) November 22, 2019
With No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa looking like a transformative pass rusher to go along with DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, and one of the best blitzing linebackers in football in Fred Warner, San Francisco should be able to get right in Rodgers' grill this game, even without Dee Ford.
Two Fred Warner blitzes paid off for the 49ers Monday, and Robert Saleh dialed up another one at an opportune time versus AZ: Notice that Warner's blitz effectively screens Armstead's blocker away from him... and Armstead's burst has been something else this year: pic.twitter.com/dCAPYCRct6
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) November 18, 2019
While both sides of the ball for Green Bay received a major shot in the arm, and their has been a major change in philosophy on the sideline, Saleh is so intense that he would try to sack his grandmother seven times in a game, and his ferocious defense will, and should, pin their ears back in order to go after Rodgers.