The San Francisco 49ers began the season with a 3-2 record, but were marred by inconsistencies on the offensive end until their dominant 37-15 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 6.
Instead, the 49ers were propelled by their defense, which had a strong balance between the front seven and an improved secondary, headlined by the acquisition of Charvarius Ward in the offseason and the breakout from second-year safety Talanoa Hufanga.
Their string of six strong performances garnered them "elite" status, which was well-deserved, given that they ranked first in defensive scoring(12.2 points/game allowed), yards per play(4.01), yards per carry(3.0), and yards per game (249.2).
However, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who had been playing at a high level on the boundary and was on his way to a nice payday in the offseason, suffered a torn ACL in San Francisco's Week 6 win, effectively ending his season.
The significant injury raised concerns for the 49ers, as their pass defense had been greatly spurred by the strong play of their boundary cornerbacks, taking away 2/3 of the field for opposing offenses.
In addition to Moseley, the 49ers were already down starting defensive linemen Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw, who suffered injuries in Week 3.
The Rough Stretch
The 49ers faced their toughest opponent to date in terms of opposing offensive lines when they visited the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, who had been a top-five team on the ground in yards per game.
While the Falcons were missing top rusher Cordarelle Patterson, they possessed a duo of running backs in Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley who fit their rushing style, as well as quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The result? A bludgeoning for the 49ers, who gave up 168 yards on the ground on 40 attempts, allowing the Falcons to control the line of scrimmage by failing to set the edge and take good angles to make tackles.
With a strong running game, Mariota only attempted 14 passes, completing 13 for 129 yards and two touchdowns, taking advantage of the 49ers' depleted secondary en route to a 28-14 victory.
The 49ers returned Nick Bosa and Charvarius Ward the week after in a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, but, once again, the defense significantly struggled, giving up a season-high 44 points, while allowing Patrick Mahomes to throw for 423 yards.
Additionally, Kansas City's running backs rushed for 112 yards and three touchdowns on just 21 attempts, while working well in the screen game, as the 49ers were dominated at the line of scrimmage for the second-straight game.
The two consecutive losses led them to a 3-4 record with a huge divisional game ahead against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, who were 3-3 and coming off a bye week.
In many eyes, it was as close of a must-win game as the 49ers would face in their early stretch of games, especially with the Seattle Seahawks owning the top seed in the division.
The turnaround to eliteness
Similarly to their 2021 season, the 49ers faced the Rams on the road at a significant point of their season, and won both times, leading to a spark and a second-half push into the playoff race.
During Week 8, the 49ers' defense responded with a strong performance against the run, holding the Rams to just 56 yards on 21 carries, effectively shutting down their quick-game attack in the second half.
While their offense put on a dominant three-touchdown second-half performance, the 49ers' defense forced four punts, limiting Matthew Stafford to under 200 yards passing, starting a series of second-half shutouts.
San Francisco's rushing defense faced a stronger test in Week 10 following the bye week, as they faced off against Austin Ekeler and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Once again, however, the 49ers' defense shut down the ground game, allowing only 51 yards on 3.2 yards per carry. In the air, Justin Herbert was limited to under 200 yards passing, as the 49ers effectively defended the quick game en route to a 22-16 victory.
It was the second consecutive victory where San Francisco limited opposing passers to under six yards per attempt, as well as allowing zero points in the second half.
Next came the Cardinals, who were 4-6 and without starting quarterback Kyler Murray when the teams faced off on Monday Night Football.
The run defense continued to be the component fueling the turnaround, as the 49ers allowed just 67 yards on 2.8 yards per carry, leading to an inefficient opposing offensive attack.
While DeAndre Hopkins and Greg Dortch each had nine catches and over 90 yards on the day, the 49ers limited scoring opportunities and held the Cardinals to 10 points, with zero coming in the second half for the third consecutive game.
It appeared as if the 49ers' defense was getting better every game during this winning streak, which only continued when San Fransisco shut out the New Orleans Saints in a Week 12 home bout to the tune of 13-0.
Despite having Alvin Kamara and a plethora of intriguing weapons, the Saints' rushing attack was non-existent, as the team averaged just 2.9 yards per carry on 22 attempts.
The turnovers were vital in this game, as the 49ers forced two fumbles, while holding up on two different goal-line stands to not allow a single point during the game.
While the win was different than other victories, it showcased that the 49ers could win in various amount of ways defensively, continuing the trend of strong performances on that side of the ball.
The Ultimatum
It was no surprise that the 49ers' defense had excelled during their four-game winning streak.
However, some were still skeptical, pointing out their failures earlier in the season against strong offensive teams and the level of opponent play over the past weeks.
That talk was put to rest, though, when the 49ers hosted the Miami Dolphins, who possessed one of the best offenses in the NFL with good quarterback play, a solid run game, and top receiving weapons.
The skepticism carried to the first drive of the game, where Tua Tagovailoa found a wide-open Trent Sherfield up the seam for a one-play, 75-yard touchdown, potentially causing "exposure" within the 49ers defense.
But, San Francisco rebounded, holding Miami to 33 rushing yards, while Tagovailoa completed just 55% of his passes on the day, which involved two interceptions.
Against a strong offense matched with a creative playcaller, the 49ers continued to make quarterbacks uncomfortable by getting into passing lanes, making throws harder to complete.
While there were two defensive lapses that led to the two explosive touchdowns, San Franciso held the Dolphins to just 17 points, while scoring 33 of their own, including a touchdown off a Tagovailoa fumble.
With the strong defensive performance, both on the ground and through the air, the 49ers finally put away any questions about their defense, cementing their "elite" status, which has been backed by the statistics over the five-game winning streak.
Now, San Francisco will have to rely on that elite defense to fulfill their playoff aspirations, as they are currently down to their third quarterback of the season, adding pressure to the other side of the ball.
But, if the past five performances are any indicator, this defense has shown the capability to do so, which will be vital for the final five games of the season.