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          NFL Nation

          49ers pass defense suddenly needs help, too

          • Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterNov 25, 2015, 07:00 AM ET
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              Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
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          SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- As poorly as the San Francisco 49ers defense played against the run in Sunday’s 29-13 loss at the Seattle Seahawks, the 49ers pass defense was just as culpable.

          Besides undrafted rookie running back Thomas Rawls rushing for 209 of the Seahawks' 255 yards on the ground, quarterback Russell Wilson also dissected the Niners with an all-time best accurate game for the Seattle QB.

          Consider: Wilson’s 82.8 completion percentage in completing 24 of 29 passes was a career high, as he threw a season-high three touchdown passes without an interception.

          Wilson took turns torching different members of the 49ers secondary.

          Strong safety Jaquiski Tartt was given a coverage grade of -3.0 by Pro Football Focus after he gave up six receptions on seven targets for 54 yards while nickel back Jimmie Ward had a -3.4 grade in giving up seven completions on seven targets for 91 yards and a touchdown.

          Then there was cornerback Kenneth Acker, who, per PFF, was benched and replaced by Marcus Cromartie after missing a tackle on Tyler Lockett's 11-yard touchdown catch and run to put the Seahawks up 20-0 in the second quarter. Acker had surrendered receptions on both of his targets for 20 yards and the TD, while Cromartie gave up one catch on two targets for eight yards.

          As much as they tried, the Niners' inability to get pressure on Wilson didn't exactly help coverage.

          Wilson was 11-for-11 for 136 yards with three TDs and 12.4 yards per attempt when the 49ers blitzed.

          It was just the third time in the past 10 years a player had gone 10-for-10 or better against blitzes in a single game, per ESPN Stats & Info, along with the San Diego Chargers’ Philip Rivers in this season’s opener against the Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady in 2007.

          What made it more devastating for the Niners was that Wilson had completed just 52 percent of his passes against the blitz through the first nine games this season for an average of 7.0 yards per attempt with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

          You think Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals are licking their chops?