The 49ers are 3-0, the points are piling up, and the wins have been loud enough to drown out most of the noise. San Francisco has put up 98 points and allowed just 50, and after the Week 3 shootout with the Arizona Cardinals, the early read is simple: this team looks like it belongs at the top of the NFC.
Brock Purdy has opened the year looking every bit like an MVP candidate. George Kittle is healthy and back to being a problem for defenses.
Fred Warner, too, has looked like himself again after last year’s ankle injury, reclaiming his spot as the league’s best linebacker. Even with injuries in the mix, the 49ers have kept rolling.
But the defense has a few issues hiding in plain sight.
The first comes against the run, where San Francisco has already allowed 317 rushing yards. That number sits at 15th in the league, which is basically middle of the pack, but it stands out more because the 49ers have already faced the ninth-most rushing attempts despite spending so much time with the lead. The concern starts inside, where the defensive tackles have not done much to disrupt opposing ground games.
Osa Odighizuwa has been asked to carry a bigger load because of injuries, and he logged a career-high 71 snaps Sunday against Arizona. He’s more known for his pass-rush work, and his 39.5 Pro Football Focus run defense grade reflects the struggle.
Even so, that’s one of the stronger marks among the interior defenders. As a group, the tackles have produced only five run stops through three weeks.
Warner and Dre Greenlaw have been there to clean things up before runs can reach the second level, but that kind of patchwork won’t hold forever. If the 49ers stop playing with big leads, this issue could get exposed fast, especially against stronger rushing attacks.
There’s also a quieter problem in slot coverage. Upton Stout has handled most of those snaps and made a strong impression in Week 1, particularly as a tackler and in run support.
Since then, though, his coverage work has started to slip. Against the Miami Dolphins, he gave up four catches on six targets and an 84.7 passer rating.
Against the Cardinals, Jacoby Brissett went five for five when throwing at Stout’s receiver, producing a 96.7 passer rating. The completions have mostly been short, and Stout has been able to rally to make stops, but teams may start treating that area like a shortcut if the pattern keeps up.
The third issue is the interior pass rush, and that one matters even more with Nick Bosa sidelined for a bit with a calf injury. The outside rush is already thin because of injuries to other edge players, and the group as a whole has not been generating much pressure.
The clearest path to helping that unit is pressure from the middle, which is exactly why San Francisco brought in Odighizuwa. He has delivered with 10 pressures so far, but the rest of the interior has combined for just six.
That leaves the 49ers in a spot where the front has to do more of the heavy lifting. Raheem Morris does not blitz often, so if San Francisco wants consistent pressure on the quarterback, the interior has to pick up the slack.
Right now, the record is spotless and the offense is carrying a lot of the shine. Still, these three defensive cracks are sitting there underneath it all.
In Other News...
Tom Bradys Latest Rankings Set Up A Chiefs Debate
Tom Bradys latest FOX Sports power rankings landed after Week 3 and gave the 49ers another bit of national validation for their 3-0 start. He bumped San Francisco all the way to No. 1, while the Seahawks slid to No. 6 after taking their first loss, and he also singled out Brock Purdy for the way he has played through the opening stretch of the season.
The rest of Bradys list is what opens the door to the next debate, because he packed the Chiefs, Bills, Vikings and Raiders into the top five around San Francisco. With Kansas City still part of the conversation and the top of the board already stirring discussion, the 49ers now find themselves at the center of an early-season argument about which contender truly deserves the highest spot. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Fans Just Got Wild Broncos Fuel Before This Matchup
With the 49ers set to face the Broncos, a recent radio segment out of Denver offered San Francisco fans a little extra bulletin-board material. Hosts Josh Dover and Cecil Lammey weighed Brock Purdy against Bo Nix and came down on the side of the Broncos rookie, pointing to Nixs fourth-quarter comebacks as the main reason they liked him better heading into the matchup.
The conversation did not stop at quarterback. Dover and Lammey also gave Sean Payton the edge over Kyle Shanahan, leaning on Paytons Super Bowl ring and broader coaching rsum. It is the kind of talk that can sharpen a game like this, especially when the evidence on the field may not line up with the confidence behind the mic. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Shanahan Reignites A 49ers Officiating Debate Fans Know Too Well
Pass interference has been back in the conversation around the 49ers, and not in a way anyone in Santa Clara enjoys. Recent controversial calls around the league involving the Cardinals, Rams and Broncos only added fuel to an argument San Francisco fans know well, especially with Kyle Shanahan weighing in on the NFLs old experiment with challenging defensive pass interference. Shanahan said he no longer supports that rule, pointing to how it affected the flow of games when the league tried it.
For the 49ers, the frustration is part of a familiar pattern under Shanahan. San Francisco has spent plenty of time on the wrong side of officiating debates during his tenure, and a recent unnecessary roughness penalty on Fred Warner only kept that irritation simmering. Even when the play itself is over, the discussion around the whistle rarely is, which is why Shanahans latest comments landed with so many 49ers followers. [Read more 🡒]