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After eight games the San Francsico 49ers sit at 4-4. Still have a top defense in the NFL though it did struggle today against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. Yet there is still one player who needs to get going and that is Arik Armstead.

General Manager John Lynch rewarded Armstead with a 5-year contract extension worth up to $85 million. He came off a career year with 54 tackles, 10 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two passes defended. 2020 though has been a different story. So far he’s registered 22 tackles, has 1.5 sacks and two passes defended. In contrast Kerry Hyder Jr. who got signed to add depth to the 49ers defensive line leads the team with 4.5 sacks and is a rotational player.

If San Francsico is looking to make a run towards the playoffs Armstead needs to step up. As of now there’s no consistent pass rush and so far the team has registered only 14 sacks. Making it difficult to force turnovers when quarterbacks get time to throw. He has also struggled with keeping containment on more mobile quarterbacks as well. 

While the defensive line has been decimated by injuries. Armstead needs to produce more and open up opportunities for rookie first round Javon Kinlaw who has yet to register a sack.

The schedule for the 49ers doesn’t get any easier. Their next game is on Thursday facing another MVP candidate in Aaron Rodgers who has thrown 20 touchdown passes and only two interceptions on the year. He’s also only been sacked eight times.

Here’s a look at some tweets about Armstead so far this season.

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