Despite spending three first round picks on defensive linemen in the last four years, the Niners have had very little pass rush success to show for it. Until Thursday. The 49ers kept Derek Carr and AJ McCarron harassed and harried all game, with eight sacks and ten QB hits.
If you’re thinking, “yeah, but Oakland SUCKS!” well, you’re right. But they are not bad at protecting their passer. In the Raiders first seven games this year, they surrendered just 17 sacks combined, an average of 2.42 sacks per game. That’s less than the league-wide average of 2.