On Sunday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers picked up their first win of the season on the road against the Seattle Seahawks to move their record to 1-0. While it wasn't a dominant victory by any means, the 49ers did just enough to squeak out a 17-13 victory thanks to a late touchdown pass from Brock Purdy as well as a fumble recovered by Nick Bosa.
One reason why things were so uneven offensively for the 49ers was the fact that Purdy was constantly under pressure by a Seahawks defensive front that isn't exactly regarded as one of the league's elite.
On Monday, Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports shed some light on one of the key reasons that Purdy faced so much pressure, and the culprit was the team's most recognizable face on the offensive line.
“Trent Williams vs. the Seahawks in week 1 allowed 10 QB pressures (26.3% pressure rate) and 8 one-on-one QB pressures (25.8%),” reported Tice, citing Next Gen Stats on X, formerly Twitter.
He also noted that “in every category, it's the most pressure he's allowed (quite easily so) in a single game since he joined the 49ers in 2020.”
At the age of 37, some fans have been wondering whether a decline may be on the way for Williams, and at this point, it's unclear if Sunday's performance was a sign of things to come or just a rough opening day of the season.
An alarming potential trend
If the poor protection for Brock Purdy becomes a pattern for the San Francisco 49ers, it could have immense ramifications down the line for this team.
The 49ers gave Purdy a huge extension this offseason that made him one of the highest paid players in the league, and they've also moved on from skill positional talent like Deebo Samuel recently.
That, combined with expected injury concerns for Christian McCaffrey and a possible drop in production from George Kittle, means that Purdy will be relied upon heavily to make plays this year instead of relying on an elite roster around him, as has been a common criticism leveled in his direction.
This being the case, Purdy will need as much time as possible in the pocket to scan opposing defenses, something he didn't have on Sunday in Seattle.
