The San Francisco 49ers defense is starting to look scary good. The offense committed five turnovers on Sunday, yet the team still found a way to overcome and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers for its first 3-0 start since 1998.
DeForest Buckner must know how scary the defense appears. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle stepped up to the podium after the 24-20 victory and welcomed questions, telling reporters, "Don't be scared. Fire away."
It was just a week ago that the 49ers won a 41-17 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals. Buckner and the defense welcomed the challenge of winning in such an unconventional way, and the lineman is proud of his teammates' resilience.
"It's more opportunities for us, as a defense, to get better, to show what we can do," Buckner said. "It just shows the hard work that we put in [during] the offseason altogether, and it's coming to [fruition]."
Added linebacker Fred Warner: "We never flinched. Every time [there was a turnover] out there, we went out there thinking we're going to get the ball back. That was the message I gave the guys every time when I went out there."
Buckner has endured some tough seasons with the 49ers. He has never been part of a winning team as a pro, and if San Francisco's success continues, that will finally change.
Oh, and there was a bonus, which the Niner Faithful will appreciate.
"The Seahawks lost today," Buckner noted. "That's also a good thing."
Buckner knows that even though the team remains undefeated, there is still room for improvement. Obviously, the five turnovers by the offense are a glaring blemish on an otherwise enjoyable outing. Even on defense, Buckner feels they let some opportunities slip out of their grasp.
"A lot of the guys, we're a young team, and we're still learning to win," Buckner added. "We could have made that game a lot easier on ourselves. We found every possible way, as a team, to kind of shoot ourselves in the foot a little bit, make it a little challenging, but the main thing is coming out with the win, and that's what we did."
The 49ers enter their bye week and won't play another game until Monday, October 7 when they host the Cleveland Browns at Levi's Stadium.