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The 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy will face a new, unique challenge when they host the Commanders at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday. Purdy has passed all of his tests in his 11 quarters of football, but Saturday will offer a new test that some quarterbacks never quite learn to pass.
Washington’s defensive line is very good, but it’s the interior of that line that could pose a real problem for Purdy. This has less to do with him being a rookie seventh-round pick, though those factors don’t necessarily help, but almost every quarterback struggles when pressure comes directly up the middle.
The Commanders roll out a dominant pair of interior linemen with Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne – both Alabama products taken in the first round by Washington one year apart in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Allen is a Pro Bowler for the second consecutive year and could be en route to an All-Pro nod. His 47 pressures are tied for fifth among interior DL per Pro Football Focus. He also has 7.5 sacks and 17 QB hits.
If that’s not enough, he lines up alongside Payne who is tied for the 13th among interior D-linemen with 37 pressures. He’s turned those into a career-high 8.5 sacks with a career-high 16 QB hits.
That duo will line up against an interior offensive line that’s had an up-and-down year for San Francisco. Left guard Aaron Banks is leading the 49ers in pressures allowed with 25. Center Jake Brendel has allowed 10 pressures, and the right guard tandem of Spencer Burford and Daniel Brunskill have given up a combined 19.
San Francisco’s offensive success could come down to how well Purdy handles it when one of Allen or Payne win their matchup and find their way into the backfield with a straight line to the 49ers’ signal caller.
Purdy this season has seen his efficiency dip dramatically when he’s pressured. His completion rate falls to 53.8 percent and his yards per attempt dips to 6.6. It’s worth noting a decline in production is typical for QBs under duress, but that pressure up the middle with no blitzer to free up an area of the field can cause even the best QBs to stumble.
The good news is the 49ers have a good play caller and plenty of weapons. There are ways they can mitigate that rush by getting their run game going, utilizing play action, and moving the pocket. Purdy’s command of the pocket will help some, but it would be worthwhile to design some rollouts where he can get in space and operate without speeding up his clock.
This is still a game the 49ers should win, and if they have success either blocking the pair of Washington DL or moving the ball despite them winning reps, it’ll be hard to find reasons to discount this San Francisco offense.
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