49ers news: The offensive line falls out of the top 10 heading into Week 3

Following a stellar Week 1 for the 49ers and their offensive line, which placed them at number ten in the NFL, Sunday’s loss to Minnesota knocked the unit out of the top ten heading into Week 3. Brian Flores and the Vikings’ defense consistently made life difficult for the 49ers’ offense, but the offensive line struggled.

Zoltán Buday updated his offensive line rankings for Pro Football Focus and pushed the 49ers to number 14. The Vikings disguised their pressure and coverage looks all game, and the 49ers had a tough time responding. According to Hayden Winks, Minnesota’s defense is third in the NFL in coverage predictability through two weeks.

The Jets’ defense is more talented, but the Vikings’ defense presents a tougher challenge due to Flores and his defensive scheme. While the Vikings don’t have Sauce Gardner and C.J. Mosley, the Vikings’ game plan and scheme were far superior to the Jets’.

Here’s what Buday said about the 49ers offensive line:

The 49ers’ offensive line let up 17 quarterback pressures in Week 2, tying for the most by an offensive line this past week. The unit subsequently produced a 78.9 PFF pass-blocking efficiency score, ranking just 24th in the NFL this week.

Following an impressive NFL debut, rookie right guard Dominick Puni struggled in his second outing. Puni gave up three pressures, and his 49.7 PFF overall grade was the lowest on the San Francisco offensive line.

Buday added that Trent Williams was the best player on the offensive line, as expected, and said: “Williams has earned a 91.1 PFF run-blocking grade through the first two weeks of the season, leading all offensive tackles.”

For the second straight week, the “weak link” on the offensive line was center Jake Brendel, although Puni was graded the worst on the line.

The Rams did draft defensive lineman Braden Fiske, but the loss of Aaron Donald retired and makes the matchup better for the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan spoke to the media yesterday and said the Rams’ defense, while not being led by Raheem Morris anymore, has the same looks on the defensive front and secondary.

There is familiarity with the Rams, but the 49ers offense and offensive line need to bounce back on Sunday.