The San Francisco 49ers defense had a rough day on Sunday, giving up a franchise record 209 rushing yards to rookie running back Thomas Rawls. The pass defense was not a whole lot better, giving up 260 passing yards and three touchdowns to the Seahawks passing game. It could have been a lot worse, but at times it felt like Pete Carroll took his foot off the gas.
The struggles against the run might very well have been somewhat related to a big loss on the defensive line. Glenn Dorsey injured his knee on the team's first defensive play of the game. His knee buckled after fairly minimal contact, and he was carted off the field. After the game, head coach Jim Tomsula acknowledged the team is looking at his ACL, among other things.
Dorsey's absence resulted in Arik Armstead moving into the starting lineup. The 49ers have used him primarily as a passing down lineman, but Dorsey's injury quickly shot him up the depth chart. Armstead is better suited in the pass rush at this point in his career, but at least we got to see more of him. He struggled at times against the run, and has plenty to work on. It seems likely that Dorsey will miss a significant stretch of time, whether it be an ACL tear, MCL sprain, or some other issue. Tony Jerod-Eddie is the more experienced option for the line, but the team can use the next month and a half of football to get a better handle on where Armstead stands across the board. They need to figure out what the rookie can bring to the table, and in a season that will not include a playoff appearance, they might as well roll him out frequently over the final six games.
The other notable piece of information from Sunday was that cornerback Kenneth Acker was benched. He was replaced by Marcus Cromartie, who ended up with more snaps. Tramaine Brock remained in the starting lineup, with Jimmie Ward as the nickel back. Dontae Johnson got ten snaps, but for some reason, he remained well behind Cromartie on the depth chart. He had a solid game against Julio Jones two weeks ago, and yet he does not get additional opportunities. I don't get it.
Defensive Line
Quinton Dial: 62
Ian Williams: 46
Arik Armstead: 46
Mike Purcell: 21
Tony Jerod-Eddie: 16
Glenn Dorsey: 1
Outside Linebackers
Aaron Lynch: 65
Ahmad Brooks: 58
Eli Harold: 21
Corey Lemonier: 12
Insider Linebackers
NaVorro Bowman: 78
Michael Wilhoite: 57
Gerald Hodges: 11
Cornerbacks
Tramaine Brock: 78
Marcus Cromartie: 47
Jimmie Ward: 45
Kenneth Acker: 31
Dontae Johnson: 10
Safeties
Eric Reid: 78
Jaquiski Tartt: 75