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Film Review: DeForest Buckner’s dominance eluding stat sheet

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© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports


All signs pointed to DeForest Buckner exploding in 2018.

Whether it was his impressive sophomore season, leading all interior defensive linemen with 19 quarterback hits, or his tireless offseason training, Buckner was poised to ascend into the Pro Bowl-caliber player in his third year that many expected. So far, he’s played like it.

Despite his production last year, Buckner compiled just three sacks. Back in training camp, he outlined a desired sack total for the 2018 season, which he wouldn’t publicly specify. The first two games of the 2018 season went according to plan. He was credited for 2.5 sacks in the season opener, then added another in Week 2, surpassing his 2017 total and placing him among the league leaders.

Then the sacks stopped. Buckner has not had one throughout the past three weeks. His 49ers teammates have struggled to pick up the slack, adding just four in the past three games, none of which were overly convincing.

Buckner’s three-game sack-less streak doesn’t reflect a drop in his play. He has found other ways to produce, whether he’s clogging running lanes, attracting multiple offensive linemen to allow one-on-ones for his teammates, using his wingspan to alter passes, or hitting the quarterback.

In San Francisco’s 28-18 loss to the visiting Arizona Cardinals last Sunday, Buckner produced four tackles, one for a loss, and two quarterback hits. He dominated all game long, leading the 49ers defense to arguably its best performance this season.

Many of the scoring drives the 49ers allowed this season are traced to their third-down struggles. That’s where the lack of pass rush hurts. In Week 5, on third and four, with more than three minutes left in the first quarter, Buckner lined up in his typical three-technique spot. He pressured Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen, forcing an incompletion. Buckner (No. 99) consistently relies upon a quick and powerful “swim move” to get backfield pressure, as he did on this play.

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In the second quarter, on Arizona’s fifth drive of the day, he penetrated the line on consecutive plays, as the Cardinals retreated into their own territory.

On first and 10, Buckner shook off blocking and wrapped up running back David Johnson for no gain.

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The 49ers have rotated Buckner at defensive end to isolate him in passing situations. On the following second-and-10, he lined up at right end. Using a similar swim move, Buckner tossed Cardinals offensive tackle D.J. Humphries to the ground like a dummy. Rosen got rid of the ball quickly, or else linebacker Fred Warner, who blitzed on the play, or Buckner would have cleaned up the sack. The completion was nullified because the Cardinals were called for offensive pass interference.

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One quarter later, same impact. On the first play of the third quarter, the Cardinals ran a play-action, trying to connect on a similar chunk gain as their 75-yard touchdown on their first offensive play of the game. Buckner prevented that.

He overcame an initial double-team, eluded guard Justin Pugh, escaped Humphries, and hit Rosen upon his release. Reuben Foster’s outside blitz moved Rosen up into the pocket and into Buckner. Rosen’s pass spiraled to the turf.

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Two plays later, Buckner showed up again.

On third and 1, the Cardinals ran up the middle with Johnson, but the 49ers dominated the line of scrimmage. Buckner manhandled Humphries, giving Johnson no chance at reaching the first-down marker.

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At some point, the Cardinals had enough. They started double-teaming Buckner, which allowed one-on-one opportunities for his teammates.

On first and 10, with fewer than seven minutes remaining in the game, nose tackle Earl Mitchell won his matchup, penetrated the backfield, and altered Rosen’s throw. The gravitational pull Buckner attracted helped enable this.

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“The centers are definitely sliding toward me and helping on some of the guards on everything,” Buckner said Thursday. “That’s when opportunities like, when Earl had his one on one, and beat him and got a pressure, we need guys to win their one-on-ones. And hopefully it will bring off some of those double-teams off me.”

Buckner’s talent is undeniable. What largely endears him to his teammates and coaches is his relentlessness. He doesn’t take plays off, even when he attracts multiple blockers.

“He plays his butt off, man,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said Friday. “Obviously, teams play a lot of attention to him, and that’s where, as a group, we all have to step up.”

Buckner’s teammates have produced just 5.5 sacks this year. No one other than Buckner has more than one sack.

The lack of pass rush was the 49ers’ most glaring issue entering the season, and it has hindered them throughout the first five games. Fortunately for the 49ers, Buckner has played very well, periodically dominating the line of scrimmage.

“He is incredibly disruptive,” Richard Sherman said Friday. “Buckner is just chaos at the line. I am sure offensive coordinators and o-line coaches know where he is at all times because he can eliminate a play and disrupt a play at any time.”

Through five weeks, Buckner ranks 20th in the NFL with 3.5 sacks, where he has been stuck throughout the past three weeks. He ranks tied for sixth with nine quarterback hits through five weeks. He also has five tackles for loss.

Buckner wants to increase his sack total, like any hungry pass-rusher would. But he evaluates his impact on more diverse terms, whether quarterback pressures, altering throws, attracting double-teams, and affecting the run game.

“I am trying to be a complete player,” Buckner said.

In that sense, he has been terrific.