The 49ers are 4-0 again, and the script feels familiar.
Under Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco has opened 4-0 three times. Two of those starts came in 2019 and 2023, and both seasons ended with Super Bowl losses to the Kansas City Chiefs. The other is this year, with the Niners still rolling despite a long list of injuries that would flatten most teams.
That’s the strange thing about this version of San Francisco: the obvious flaws haven’t stopped the machine from humming. The 49ers are missing four of their top five projected receivers from training camp, and that doesn’t even include No. 1 wideout Mike Evans, who played through injured ribs last week - or Deebo Samuel, who signed after Ricky Pearsall went down for the year to have knee surgery.
The defensive front has taken a similar beating. Three of their top interior players and three of their best defensive ends have been sidelined, including Nick Bosa, who is working back from a calf injury after missing training camp with knee tendinitis resulting from his recovery from a torn ACL.
And still, the production is elite. San Francisco is one of five teams in the league ranked in the top 10 in yards per play on both offense and defense, and it’s the only team sitting in the top three in both.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz also calculated that the 49ers’ DVOA through four games is the 11th best since 1977, with four of the teams ahead of them going on to win the Super Bowl. The 2019 49ers, who ranked ninth on that list, were one of the three that fell short.
Brock Purdy is the biggest reason the offense has looked so sharp. He’s off to the best start of his career and has surged up MVP betting odds since the season began.
Entering Sunday’s matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, he leads the NFL with a 93.7 QBR. The gap between Purdy and No.
2 Lamar Jackson, who sits at 81.6, is about the same as the gap from Jackson to No. 7.
Purdy also hasn’t been sacked through four games, which has only strengthened his MVP case. The 49ers lead the NFL in estimated points added per play at 0.29 and are comfortably first in EPA per drop back at 0.57, with the Ravens next at 0.35. Purdy is tied with Kirk Cousins for the league lead in passing touchdowns with 11, and his 9.7% touchdown rate tops Cousins’ 7.6%.
The protection up front has been solid, but it’s not the whole story. San Francisco hasn’t trailed in the second half in any of its four games, which has allowed Shanahan to keep the full playbook in play instead of forcing the offense into catch-up mode. The 49ers have also been the second-least penalized team in the league.
The ground game is back where it belongs, too. After averaging just 3.8 yards per carry last season, San Francisco is up to 4.8 this year, matching its 2023 average when it reached the Super Bowl.
Samuel has helped there right away, picking up 74 yards on just seven attempts. Purdy has chipped in as a runner as well, ranking second on the team with 122 rushing yards on 20 carries, a 6.1 average.
If there’s one area that still needs work, it’s the pass rush.
Through four games, the 49ers rank 25th in pressure rate and have only six sacks, tied for fourth fewest in the NFL. Those are familiar problems from last season, and even with additions to the defensive line in Osa Odighizuwa and fourth-round pick Gracen Halton, the issue hasn’t gone away.
Both newcomers have played well, but the defense still lacks the kind of pass-rushing punch it was built around. Bosa’s absence since Week 2 is a major reason, though San Francisco has also gotten as many sacks from safety Marques Sigle (1.0) as from third-round pick Romello Height, who was brought in as a pass-rushing specialist. Keion White leads the team with 2.0 sacks.
The run defense has also been helped by the fact that the 49ers haven’t spent much time chasing games. Early in contests, though, it’s been leaky.
San Francisco is allowing 0.26 EPA per rushing attempt in the first quarter, the second-worst figure in the NFL. Opponents are averaging 4.9 yards per carry overall, but that number drops to 3.4 over the final three quarters.
That split tells the story pretty well. The injuries to Alfred Collins and C.J.
West have left the middle soft without a true nose tackle on the roster. Bosa is one of their best run defenders, but he plays end and has been out since Week 2, while 2025 first-round pick Mykel Williams is set to make his season debut Sunday after going down with an ACL tear last November.
Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw have cleaned up plenty of messes, but the question is how long that can hold if the 49ers are forced to play from behind. That hasn’t happened in the second half of a game this season.
So the trade deadline looms large. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have never been shy about swinging midseason deals, and the list is long: Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017, Emmanuel Sanders in 2019, Charles Omenihu in 2021, Christian McCaffrey in 2022, Chase Young in 2023, and then White for a late-round pick last year after they passed on a bigger swing.
This time, the defensive line should be the focus. San Francisco needs a run-stuffing defensive tackle - it ranks second-to-last in the NFL in stuff rate - and another pass rusher opposite Bosa.
Khalil Mack could become available if the Chargers keep sliding after starting 0-4. Washington’s Daron Payne is another possible fit at defensive tackle. The biggest name of all might be Tennessee’s Jeffrey Simmons, whom the 49ers saw up close during joint practice over the summer.
The question is whether San Francisco would give up a first-round pick next spring in what is expected to be a loaded draft class.
That decision could help determine whether the 49ers end up lifting their sixth Lombardi Trophy in February or walking away short again.
In Other News...
49ers May Soon Regret Passing On A Raiders Ballhawk
The 49ers secondary continues to be a watch point, especially when a nearby rival is getting immediate returns from a rookie defensive back. Las Vegas cornerback Hezekiah Masses has opened his first season looking like the kind of ballhawk that can change field position in a hurry, while San Franciscos own cornerback addition, Ephesians Prysock, has yet to get into a game. It is the sort of comparison that gets sharper when a young defender is producing early and another is still waiting for his chance.
San Francisco will get a firsthand look at Masses in Week 9, when the 49ers meet the Raiders. For a team that has already invested in the cornerback room, this is one of those matchups that can linger beyond a single afternoon, because every early interception and every pass breakup from a rookie on the other sideline only adds to the question of what might have been. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Face A Division Test Seattle Has Been Waiting For
The Seahawks have had this one circled, and not just because the undefeated 49ers are rolling into Seattle for a Week 5 division test that could say plenty about the early shape of the NFC West. Rivalry games tend to come with extra layers, and this one is no different, with familiar faces and coaching connections giving both sides plenty of reasons to know each other well before kickoff.
There is also a clear sense that Seattle sees an opening to measure itself against the league's most confident opponent so far, especially with so many ties between the staffs and rosters over the past few seasons. The buildup has naturally invited plenty of speculation about how certain players might factor into the game and whether the Seahawks can turn familiarity into an edge, but the bigger question remains how much of a challenge San Francisco's unbeaten start can withstand on the road. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Draft Class Already Has One Worry Fans Can't Ignore
The 49ers 2025 draft class has already become a study in contrasts, with the early buzz giving way to a much rougher reality. Several of the teams key additions have been slowed by injuries, forcing San Francisco to lean harder on the rest of the rookie group than it likely expected when the class was assembled.
A few later selections have at least given the front office something to point to, with Upton Stout, Marques Sigle and Connor Colby all showing enough progress to work their way into starting roles. The bigger concern is at the top of the class, where the most highly regarded picks still do not offer the kind of steady contribution the 49ers were counting on, leaving this draft haul feeling far less settled than the team would have hoped. [Read more 🡒]