The San Francisco 49ers have kept their quarterback upright more often than any other NFL offense through five weeks. San Francisco has been sacked on only 3 of 145 dropbacks, a 2.07% sack rate, the lowest in the league. The league average is 6.39% across every regular-season dropback through Monday night.
The 49ers were not sacked in any of their first four games — against the Los Angeles Rams, Miami, Arizona and Denver — then took three sacks for 14 yards in Sunday’s win at Seattle. Dallas is second at 3.03% (6 sacks on 198 dropbacks), and the Rams are third at 3.10% (7 on 226). Those three clubs are the only ones under 3.5%.
Best pass protection (lowest sack rate) after Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Games | Sacks taken | Dropbacks | Sack rate | Yards lost | Defense sack rate (rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco 49ers | 5-0 | 5 | 3 | 145 | 2.07% | 14 | 5.95% (18) |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys | 2-3 | 5 | 6 | 198 | 3.03% | 33 | 3.45% (29) |
| 3 | Los Angeles Rams | 2-3 | 5 | 7 | 226 | 3.10% | 47 | 5.19% (23) |
| 4 | Denver Broncos | 3-2 | 5 | 6 | 168 | 3.57% | 28 | 7.30% (12) |
| 5 | Las Vegas Raiders | 3-2 | 5 | 8 | 188 | 4.26% | 49 | 7.51% (10) |
| 6 | Kansas City Chiefs | 4-0 | 4 | 6 | 134 | 4.48% | 38 | 2.65% (32) |
| 7 | Cincinnati Bengals | 3-2 | 5 | 9 | 198 | 4.55% | 61 | 9.19% (4) |
| 8 | Indianapolis Colts | 2-3 | 5 | 9 | 185 | 4.86% | 56 | 5.65% (20) |
| 9 | Green Bay Packers | 3-2 | 5 | 10 | 195 | 5.13% | 53 | 8.19% (9) |
| 10 | Detroit Lions | 3-2 | 5 | 11 | 202 | 5.45% | 87 | 8.58% (5) |
Denver ranks fourth at 3.57% ahead of Thursday night’s home game against Seattle. Kansas City is sixth at 4.48% in four games. Minnesota, despite a 5-0 record, sits 27th at 9.68% (15 sacks on 155 dropbacks) and has lost 103 yards to sacks.
Cleveland has the league’s highest sack rate allowed at 11.31% (19 sacks on 168 dropbacks, 113 yards lost). The Browns were sacked eight times for 53 yards at the New York Jets in Week 5 and five times at Jacksonville in Week 1. The Los Angeles Chargers (10.56%) and Tampa Bay (10.12%) are next.
Best pass rush (highest sack rate) after Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Sacks | Opponent dropbacks | Sack rate | Offense sack rate allowed | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Vikings | 5-0 | 17 | 173 | 9.83% | 9.68% | +0.15 |
| 2 | New York Jets | 2-3 | 17 | 177 | 9.60% | 9.82% | -0.21 |
| 3 | Houston Texans | 1-4 | 18 | 195 | 9.23% | 7.00% | +2.23 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Bengals | 3-2 | 17 | 185 | 9.19% | 4.55% | +4.64 |
| 5 | Detroit Lions | 3-2 | 20 | 233 | 8.58% | 5.45% | +3.14 |
| 6 | Chicago Bears | 3-2 | 12 | 142 | 8.45% | 6.01% | +2.44 |
| 7 | Seattle Seahawks | 3-2 | 14 | 167 | 8.38% | 6.96% | +1.42 |
| 8 | Cleveland Browns | 3-2 | 16 | 191 | 8.38% | 11.31% | -2.93 |
| 9 | Green Bay Packers | 3-2 | 14 | 171 | 8.19% | 5.13% | +3.06 |
| 10 | Las Vegas Raiders | 3-2 | 13 | 173 | 7.51% | 4.26% | +3.26 |
Minnesota’s defense has sacked opponents on 17 of 173 dropbacks (9.83%), the best rate in the league. The New York Jets are second at 9.60%, Houston third at 9.23% and Cincinnati fourth at 9.19%. Detroit has the most sacks (20) but a slightly lower rate (8.58%) because opponents have dropped back more often against the Lions.
Arizona has generated a league-low 2.92% sack rate (5 sacks on 171 opponent dropbacks). Carolina (3.33%) and the Rams (4.02%) are next. San Francisco’s offense leads the league in sack rate allowed while its defense ranks 23rd at 5.17%, so the 49ers’ edge on this board is almost entirely from protection.
Week 6 tests: Denver (fourth-best protection) hosts Seattle on Thursday night. Cleveland visits Baltimore. San Francisco hosts Washington on Monday night. Minnesota is on its bye.
Sack rate is sacks divided by dropbacks (pass attempts plus sacks), taken from the official box score of every regular-season game through Week 5, including overtime. Thursday night’s Seahawks-Broncos game is not included. The ranking matches independent league tracking for QB sacked percentage for all 32 teams.
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