Why the 49ers elite defense is slumping slightly ahead of playoff run
The 49ers were getting interceptions in bunches during the first half of the season. They had 10 over their first seven games after setting an NFL record in futility with just two during all of 2018.
San Francisco’s defense was healthy and dominant over that span leading to the team’s 2019 resurgence. It was allowing a paltry 224.4 yards per game while playing mostly backup or also-ran quarterbacks.
But things have changed with the playoffs quickly approaching and the Rams coming to town Saturday after the 49ers defense faltered last week against the Falcons.
Injuries hit 49ers hard
Attrition has taken a toll. Linebacker Kwon Alexander and nose tackle D.J. Jones have been lost for the season with pectoral and ankle injuries, respectively. Pass rusher Dee Ford has missed a handful of games with a problematic hamstring strain, which will keep him from playing against L.A.
The depth along the defensive line took hits when productive reserve Ronald Blair III went down with a season-ending ACL tear Nov. 11 against the Seahawks. Then his replacement, Damontre Moore, was lost with a fractured forearm, compounding depth issues along the elite defensive front.
In the seven games since recording those 10 interceptions? The 49ers have just one.
It came in overtime in the loss to Seattle. And San Francisco’s overall yardage totals have climbed from 224 yards per game to 313.6 over the last seven weeks, which is still a strong number, albeit almost 30 percent higher than the first seven games.
“From a statistical standpoint, it was almost historic,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said this week. “I almost feel like we kind of spoiled people. We’ve still been playing good defense and doing all those things. It’s something that we’ve got to just continue to keep grinding and getting better with the different guys that are coming in and out of the lineup.”
Saleh also pointed out the competition has improved dramatically from the 49ers’ opening slate of games.
Jared Goff of the Rams, Saturday’s opponent, was likely the best quarterback San Francisco faced during the first two months of the season. Since then, the team has played Super Bowl winners Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, the MVP frontrunner in Lamar Jackson, 2016 MVP Matt Ryan and emerging rookie Kyler Murray.
No one in Santa Clara is panicking over the play of San Francisco’s defense. The loss to the Falcons came without 60 percent of the usual secondary as top corners Richard Sherman (hamstring) and K’Waun Williams (concussion) joined strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (rib fracture) on the sideline with injuries. Their absence played a role in All-Pro wideout Julio Jones torching the 49ers with 134 yards and two crucial touchdowns (he set up a third by drawing a pass interference in the end zone).
Williams and Sherman coming back
Sherman and Williams will be back in the lineup Saturday.
“I think guys are feeling great. I don’t think guys are concerned at all,” Sherman said this week. “It’s good to get things sharper and get a wake-up call and get out there and experience (it). But I think guys feel great. Guys got to execute. We’re a play away, a tipped ball away, a freakin’ communication from winning the game. So guys aren’t down in the dumps about these last games. Guys understand the level we can play at and guys just need to play cleaner.”
The issue with the last three games has been the defense’s inability to get a game-winning stop. The 49ers have allowed go-ahead scores inside the last minute against the Ravens, Saints and Falcons — which certainly wasn’t happening earlier in the season when the defense was dominating opponents, save for the Seahawks game that would have been a victory if rookie kicker Chase McLaughlin didn’t miss a game-winner in overtime.
“I think we’re pretty mature group,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “We know what we did wrong, and everybody watches the film and knows that we have to be better, and it’s no better time to be better than these next couple games.”
Added coach Kyle Shanahan: “I’ve got a lot of confidence in our (defense). I mean, they’ve earned that. I know we gave away two scores here these last two weeks. I thought we let them hang around way too long in Atlanta. ... We let a good quarterback and a Hall-of-Fame receiver, NFL MVP, have too many chances and that’s what happens. The week before, I thought Drew Brees made some pretty good plays also. We definitely could play better, but I have no concerns about those guys not being able to get the job done.”
The 49ers, of course, would clinch a first-round bye and home field throughout the playoffs by winning their final two games, starting Saturday against L.A. before a trip to Seattle, which is shaping up to be the decider for the NFC West crown.
49ers lean on Bosa
Bosa, who received more fan votes than any other defensive player en route to his first Pro Bowl nod, has been outstanding for San Francisco this season. But his effectiveness has been restrained in recent weeks because he’s been asked to play far more than any other point in the season.
Bosa is averaging 59 snaps the past six games. He averaged 39 the first eight. And after a core muscle injury cut his final college season to just three games, Bosa is playing more at this point on the calendar than any time in his football career.
“I always want to be out on every play,” Bosa said. “And then I realize that sometimes I’d be better for me to just take a couple plays off early in the game. I’ll be out there whenever my team needs me.”
Which speaks to the importance of Blair and Ford’s injuries. Blair played at least a quarter of the defense’s snaps in each game he was available, and over half the snaps twice. Ford recorded 6.5 sacks despite being limited with knee tendinitis before the hamstring issue.
The Rams have been one of the better teams in the league at avoiding sacks, though San Francisco had four the last time the teams squared off in Week 6. L.A. enters the weekend having allowed just 21 sacks on the season, tied with the Saints for the second fewest.
Rams coach Sean McVay remains leery of the San Francisco’s pass rush paired with its strong secondary, which still ranks first in the NFL in allowing 154 passing yards per game.
“It’s a nightmare,” McVay said this week, “and I think that’s why the production is what it is, is because it’s being extremely well-coached and guys are executing it at a high level.”
This story was originally published December 20, 2019 at 4:00 AM.
