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The San Francisco 49ers have started off strong to begin the 2023 season, winning of each their first three games while scoring at least 30 points a game and allowing under 15 points per game on average.
Defensively, the 49ers came into the season with a strong roster, but a couple of questions, as they had lost key depth pieces while entering the season with a new defensive coordinator.
While the majority of the defensive alignments have been similar, the 49ers have increased the usage of five-man fronts, experimenting with the implementation of
Javon Kinlaw alongside
Arik Armstead and
Javon Hargrave on the interior.
Thus far, the early rewards have been plentiful.
Through three games, the trio has combined for 32 of San Francisco's 79 pressures through three games, with their top five players, including edge rushers
Drake Jackson and
Nick Bosa, each having at least nine pressures on the season.
Why has the alignment been so effective?
Head coach Kyle Shanahan attributed it to the talent of the pass-rushers for the 49ers, and the 1-on-1 matchups created through the five-man fronts.
"Anytime you could get five pass rushers in there who are all effective, it's great. You get one-on-one blockings and you have to do it with four D-lineman when we have [LB]
Fred [Warner] hug the center too which gives some different looks. So it's always an option. It's always a problem for offenses anytime, but sometimes you got to get one of those guys to play coverage too, which they don't like."
Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave was excited to debut the front in the regular season, adding that he loves the 5-2 looks, given the personnel that San Francisco has.
"I think everybody say [defensive coordinator Steve Wilks] is known for his blitzing. Of course, we blitz, too, but I think he trusts for the front to win and let us roll," Hargrave said. "I said, I ain't seen five two [man fronts] in the middle of the field in a long time."
"That's crazy, because we did like you said, we got a lot of people, so I guess they just want to get everybody out there at one time and see what we can do. I love it."
An additional element that added to the early success was the lack of tape out there on the five-man fronts in the preseason, which added to the confusion level for opposing offenses.
"We ain't put that on tape in the preseason. So they was confused," Hargrave said on former 49er Richard Sherman's podcast.
The 49ers have enjoyed a quiet breakout from DT Javon Kinlaw, whose pass rushing skills have been on display early and often this season, allowing the 49ers to implement five-man fronts with their new personnel.
It'll be interesting to see how much the 49ers implement the look going forward, but it's clear they've liked what they've seen thus far.
It took nine years, but the San Francisco 49ers finally got some payback on Thursday night for the Seattle Seahawks feasting on turkey after a win at Levi's Stadium in 2014.
The Seahawks' 19-3 win over the 49ers on Thanksgiving in 2014 was the last time either team played on Thanksgiving before Thursday night, and after that game then-Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and cornerback Richard Sherman dug into the postgame turkey at the 50-yard line of Levi's Stadium at a time when the rivalry between the two teams was at a peak. The 49ers flipped the script on Thursday, notching a 31-13 win over the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle that was followed by a slew of 49ers getting their fill of Thanksgiving turkey, courtesy of NBC.
"That was a moment I'll remember
(Episode 289) - Brian Renick is joined by Jason Aponte, the host of the Sprint Right Option podcast and also a Niners Nation contributor. The guys react to the Seahawks' win, the biggest takeaways on offense and defense, the NFC playoff picture, and Philly week!
The audio for the show is embedded above. Don't forget to subscribe!
You can listen to the latest "No Huddle Podcast" episode above, from our dedicated podcast page, on
The San Francisco 49ers are turning to a familiar face for a workout following injuries to two safeties, Talanoa Hufanga and George Odum. Hufanga suffered a torn ACL in Week 11, while Odum sustained a torn biceps on Thanksgiving.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, veteran defensive back Anthony Averett will work out for the 49ers on Monday. Averett briefly joined San Francisco's roster during training camp in August but was released with an injury settlement on August 17.
Veteran DB Anthony Averett is working out today for the
Whenever the San Francisco 49ers reflect on their NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, they believe they didn't have a fair shot. Despite confidence in their game plan for last season's matchup, the game took an unexpected turn when quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing arm early on.
After the NFC title game loss, the 49ers expressed their confidence in the locker room, firmly believing that, at worst, the game would have been a much closer contest than the 31-7 defeat.
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