There were a lot of missed opportunities for the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s loss against the Minnesota Vikings, but there was one nice thing that happened: The DeForest Buckner Defensive Player of the Year campaign kicked off with a couple sacks. Well, 2.5. Buckner got the game’s first sack Sunday and then followed things up with another and a shared sack with Ronald Blair. At first glance it looked more like Buckner did the honors on that partial sack, but Blair had a hand in things.
So the rest of that pass rush? Well, those 2.5 sacks were pretty much it. Arik Armstead got some pressure early, and Ronald Blair split the half sack when he forced Kirk Cousins out of the pocket. Fred Warner led the team with 12 tackles, but tackles are not sacks and beyond those three gems from the pass rush, the line was relatively quiet.
Buckner dominated on the field Sunday and was one of the bright spots of the game. Next week, the 49ers have the Detroit Lions, a team with an inconsistent offensive line. Buckner has got to be licking his chops after his performance today. Hopefully the rest of the pass rush can get things together a bit more consistently.
First sack
Buckner sack. More of this! #49ers #SFvsMIN pic.twitter.com/QvgLJygdXA
— James Brady (@JamesBradySBN) September 9, 2018
Final half sack
And here's Buckner's third sack (or perhaps two-point-fifth sack) pic.twitter.com/tp3LJOJj0L
— James Brady (@JamesBradySBN) September 9, 2018