With a championship in sight, the 49ers' defensive line will look to repeat the dominance that nearly led them to a Super Bowl victory in 2019.
Each sustaining season-ending injuries last year, Nick Bosa and Dee Ford are working hard in an effort to return to the field and provide the 49ers with the pass rush necessary to maintain an elite defense.
Cornerback Jason Verrett -- who has yet to play more than one game with either Bosa or Ford since joining the 49ers -- was asked on KNBR's "Papa & Lund" what sort of impact the two will have on the rest of the defense.
“Major, major," Verrett said. "They say rush and cover go together, so I think that’s going to even open up [Arik] Armstead’s game, it’s going to open up [Javon] Kinlaw’s game and just the additions of Arden Key and [Maurice] Hurst and those guys, I just think it’s going to be a hell of a front force.
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"We already know what [Nick] Bosa and Dee Ford can do when they’re healthy. If they’re getting to the quarterback, we’re going to get a lot of interceptions.”
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A dominant pass rush creates a domino effect on the rest of the defense. With less time for plays to develop, opposing quarterbacks are often rushed into making decisions that could prove costly when faced with constant pressure from the defensive line.
Rewind to 2019, the 49ers' recipe for success was to run the ball on offense and get after opposing quarterbacks on defense. They won in the trenches, and it nearly propelled them to a Super Bowl win.
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With a healthy Bosa, and potentially a healthy Ford off the edge on third downs, the 49ers may have the 1-2 punch necessary to repeat their defensive-line dominance.