After Watching the Seahawks Celebrate on Their Turf, the 49ers Face a Familiar Truth: It All Starts Up Front
The 49ers had to watch the confetti fall for the Seattle Seahawks on their own field Sunday night, as Super Bowl LX wrapped up the 2025 NFL season. That’s a tough pill to swallow for any team, but especially for a San Francisco squad that wasn’t supposed to be in the mix this deep into the year.
Coming into the season, expectations were tempered. The Niners trimmed veteran contracts, let some key free agents walk, and looked like a team in transition.
But then the games started, and San Francisco began to find its footing-especially in the second half of the season. They clawed their way into the playoffs and even pulled off a gritty road win in Philadelphia before running into a buzzsaw in the form of the Seahawks.
Seattle didn’t just win the Super Bowl-they imposed their will on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. And if there’s one thing the past two postseasons have taught us, it’s that elite quarterback play alone doesn’t guarantee a ring.
Just ask Patrick Mahomes, who ran into a loaded Eagles team last year. Or Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen, who both came up short this season despite some electric performances.
In the end, it was Seattle’s defense-arguably the best in the league-that carried them to the top of the mountain.
The Formula Is Clear: Win With Four
There’s a growing trend across the NFL, and it’s becoming harder to ignore: if you want to win in January and February, you better be able to win with four. That is, generate consistent pressure with just your front four linemen. It’s not a new concept, but in today’s pass-happy league, it’s more valuable than ever.
Elite offenses are everywhere now. Quarterbacks are smarter.
Play-callers are more creative. But if you can disrupt the timing of those offenses with just four rushers, you give your secondary a fighting chance and your defensive coordinator a full deck to play with in coverage.
That’s exactly what Seattle did under Mike Macdonald. They stopped the run without stacking the box, which meant they could disguise blitzes and coverages without sacrificing physicality. And when it came time to get after the quarterback, they didn’t need to send extra bodies-they just let their front four go to work.
San Francisco Knows This Blueprint-They’ve Used It Before
This isn’t foreign territory for the 49ers. Their best playoff runs under Kyle Shanahan have been fueled by dominant defensive lines.
In 2019, it was Dee Ford, Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, and DeForest Buckner. That group wreaked havoc.
In 2021, it was Bosa, Armstead, and D.J. Jones, backed by a rotation of guys like Charles Omenihu, Arden Key, and Samson Ebukam who fit the system perfectly.
In 2022, the formula stayed the same. And by 2023, when the Niners made it back to the Super Bowl, they’d added even more firepower with Javon Hargrave, Randy Gregory, and Chase Brown. Even as the team invested more in the secondary-bringing in Charvarius Ward and spending draft capital on defensive backs-the engine of the defense remained the line.
But this past season? That group didn’t quite have the same bite.
The League’s Top Teams All Dominated in the Trenches
Look around the playoff picture in 2025, and the trend is obvious. The Seahawks had a fearsome defensive front that gave the 49ers fits. The Rams weren’t far behind, with Jared Verse, Kobie Turner, Poona Ford, and Braden Fiske forming a disruptive core.
Over in the AFC, the Broncos rolled out a group headlined by All-Pro Zach Allen and Pro Bowler Nik Bonnito, with D.J. Jones, Jonathan Cooper, and John Franklin-Myers rounding out a deep unit. The Patriots quietly built one of the most consistent defenses in the league, and the Texans made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks with Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter on the edges, plus Sheldon Rankins anchoring the middle.
These teams didn’t just win-they controlled games by controlling the line of scrimmage. They didn’t need to blitz to create pressure, and that allowed them to play smart, flexible coverage on the back end. That’s the modern formula for playoff success.
The 49ers Need to Get Back to Their Roots
For San Francisco, the path back to the top starts with rebuilding that defensive front. Nick Bosa is still the cornerstone, but his return from a torn ACL will be a major storyline heading into 2026.
Rookie first-rounder Mykel Williams also missed significant time with an ACL tear, robbing him of key developmental reps. His growth in Year 2 could be a game-changer.
On the interior, rookies Alfred Collins and C.J. West showed flashes as rotational players. They’ve got potential, but the Niners still feel one impact interior lineman short of where they need to be.
If the front office can find that missing piece-whether through the draft or a smart free-agent signing-this defense could get back to its identity. And when this team is built in the trenches, they’re dangerous.
The Bottom Line
The 49ers exceeded expectations in 2025, but watching a division rival hoist the Lombardi Trophy on your own field is a brutal reminder of how thin the margins are in the NFL. The league is evolving, but one thing hasn’t changed: games are still won in the trenches.
San Francisco knows that better than most. Now it’s up to them to act on it.