49ers vs. Falcons: San Francisco’s Pass Rush Will Be Crucial in NFC Championship

January 16, 2013   ·   Tim Keeney   ·   Jump to comments

While most of this San Francisco 49ers team continues to peak at the right time (I'm looking at you, Colin Kaepernick and Michael Crabtree), the pass rush is faltering into obscurity. 
Against the Atlanta Falcons, it's going to have to reappear.
Considering the Niners boast the most dangerous pair of Smiths since Brad and Angelina, that shouldn't be too much to ask, right? 
Well, not so fast. 
During the regular season, San Francisco had a sack percentage of 6.3, which was just 13th highest in the league. Moreover, in their last four contests, the 49ers have tallied an atrocious four sacks.
It's worth noting, of course, that those numbers don't exactly tell the entire story. Because of the talented pass-rushing ability of Aldon Smith, Justin Smith and Ahmad Brooks, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio doesn't need to dial up many blitzes. He can drop six or seven players back in coverage and still know most quarterbacks won't have much time to make a...

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