49ers news: The defensive line looks elite yet again in early returns

The San Francisco 49ers had a blowout victory to begin the season, easily defeating the New York Jets 31-19 to improve to 1-0.

For the 49ers, almost everything clicked instantly, as the offense scored on eight consecutive drives, while the defense stifled quarterback Aaron Rodgers, limiting him to just 13 points of offense in his return from an Achilles tear.

One area that especially stood out for San Francisco was their defensive line, which I admittedly had some questions about coming into the season, particularly when it comes to run defense.

The 49ers had lost star defensive lineman Arik Armstead in the offseason, raising questions as to how they’d be able to defend the run this year, but the defense didn’t miss a beat, recording a whopping 16 run stops on the day and limiting Jets running back Breece Hall to just 54 yards on 3.4 yards per carry.

Newcomer Maliek Collins was a key player in the run effort, as he shed blocks well and made a big impact up front, totaling two run stops for the 49ers.

“I was really happy with the D-Line, overall,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. “Maliek [Collins], I thought, showed up a ton. I was really pumped with him. He just, he flashed a ton, got off blocks, played with a ton of energy, made a number of plays. That was a hell of a first game for him as a Niner.”

But, the run wasn’t the only area where the 49ers defensive line shined, as the pass-rush got home in key moments that ultimately suited as drive-killers for the Jets.

While Aaron Rodgers consistently got the ball out quickly, as he usually does, there were still some major plays made rushing the quarterback.

Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd led the way, totaling five and four pressures respectively, with the latter landing his first sack with the 49ers.

Floyd was also directly involved with the two turnovers that the defense creating, forcing a pressure on Rodgers on each play, showing his ability to come up in timely moments.

That duo of Bosa and Floyd could be key to breaking open the 49ers pass-rush this season.

“[Bosa and Floyd] did a great job,” Shanahan said after the game. “We kept them into some good third downs and I thought both of them fed off each other very well. Their conditioning was very good. They were able to go on the last play the same way they did on the first play. I love how those two pair up and expect them to get better and better as the year goes.”