As the old adage goes, you earn the right to rush the passer by stopping the run. The 49ers and their league-leading 21 sacks can be directly attributed to the work that they have done against opposing rushing attacks on early downs.
Through five weeks of the NFL season, the 49ers rank first in yards per rushing attempt allowed at just three yards per carry. They also rank first in rushing yards allowed per game at 71.4 yards per game.
That dominance was on display in Carolina, where the 49ers allowed 64 yards on 17 carries for an average of 3.