49ers offensive line has chance at history vs Cardinals

Brock Purdy may be minting a dark horse MVP candidacy early on this season, but the 49ers quarterback might as well be running to be president of the United States.It’s already like he’s being protected by the Secret Service.Purdy has hardly hit the ground, or been hit at all, through two weeks.Once thought to be a potential problem area, the Niners’ offensive line has been anything but.In fact, the group is already making its case as one of the best in franchise history.On Sunday, as the Niners seek their fourth 3-0 start since 2019 against the Arizona Cardinals, they’ll also be trying to keep their QB upright for the third consecutive contest.Thirty one teams in the NFL allowed their quarterback to be sacked in Weeks 1 and 2.

The average QB has been hit and gone down behind the line of scrimmage 4.7 times.Purdy, of course, has been far from average — and so have the five blockers in front of him.Anchored by Trent Williams at left tackle, San Francisco has already separated itself from the rest of the league as the only group not to surrender a sack yet this season.It’s already a franchise first — every previous Niners team had allowed at least one sack by Week 2.Left guard Connor Colby was the question mark, only anointed the starter when he took the field for the 49ers’ opening drive in Week 1, but has more than held his own.Although Colby started six games as a rookie last season, coach Kyle Shanahan said the past two weeks have “probably been his two most consistent games.” He is responsible for only two of the 12 pressures the 49ers have allowed, while the group as a whole ranks behind only the Colts in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking efficiency metric.With their 2-0 start, the 49ers improved to 17-4 under Shanahan when not allowing a sack.They’re in position to enter even more rarefied air against the Cardinals.Their defense ranked fourth from the bottom last season in sacks, with only 10 more than the last-place 49ers (20), and ha...