Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
49ers defense on pace to be worse than last season
Oct 4, 2016 at 11:23 AM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Many questioned the hiring of Jim O'Neil as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator early during the offseason. However, an impressive Week 1 performance against the Los Angeles Rams put fans' minds at ease – for a week.
Since giving up just 185 total yards to the Rams, the 49ers defense has given up an average of 458.3 yards per game over the past three weeks – all of which resulted in losses. The defensive performances over the past three games have put the O'Neil hiring back under scrutiny. Of course, it does not help that the 49ers offense has averaged just 292.8 total yards on offense (30th in the NFL) and just 70 total first downs through four games (27th in the NFL). The passing game ranks last in the league, so the 49ers offense is not doing the 49ers defense any favors.
Although, O'Neil's track record has not been the best. His defenses with the Cleveland Browns ranked 27th in 2015 and 23rd in 2014. They dropped from 8th to 22nd against the pass from 2014 to 2015. Against the run, they were 30th in 2015 and last in 2014. So, his resume was questionable at best.
Still, O'Neil's 2015 defense ranked better than the 49ers' Eric Mangini led defense that same year. His defense even beat the 49ers during the 2015 season. This season, O'Neil's 49ers defense ranks 26th overall, 23rd in points allowed, and last against the run.
What is really disturbing is the pace that the 49ers defense is on this season. It's about the same pace as last season's poor 49ers defense – worse in some areas. And now the 49ers defense will have to move forward without the best player and emotional leader,
ILB NaVorro Bowman, who was lost for the season to a torn Achilles.
RELATED 49ers' NaVorro Bowman out for season with torn Achilles
Last season, the 49ers defense allowed 6,199 total yards to opposing offenses. This season, they are on pace to allow 6,240. Last season, they allowed 2,020 rushing yards to opponents. This season, they are on pace to allow 2,248.
"I think it starts first with tackling," O'Neil said today when asked about how he plans to improve the team's run defense. "You know, we've got to do a better job and it's something that we did a great job of all through preseason and then the first game of the year. And then the last two games, we've missed more tackles which has been uncharacteristic of our defense. So we've got to emphasize the heck out of that in practice. Just how you finish every play. You gotta bend at the end. You gotta press at the hip. All the coaching points that we constantly give the guys. We've got to emphasize it even though we're not hitting in practice, you've got to finish every play that way.
"We did some things the past couple of weeks that were uncharacteristic of us technique-wise, especially up front where they were able to cut our defense in half. So we've got to make some improvements there. And then I can help the guys play calling-wise – when we've getting those fast zones – helping the guys get going in a certain area so we're not as vulnerable to getting cut backside and some other things.
"So, it's something that we're spending time on. We did a lot of good things, but we're still letting – you know, those two or three big plays – they're getting out of us and that's what we got to take out of our game."
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Christian McCaffrey achieves milestone last seen with the 49ers by Frank Gore
Christian McCaffrey rushed for 1,139 yards last season, marking his third time surpassing 1,000 yards in his NFL career. Of course, he accomplished this feat during his time with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.
Entering Week 13, McCaffrey led the league with 939 rushing yards, requiring only 61 more to secure his fourth career season surpassing the 1,000-yard mark. He achieved this milestone in the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles, becoming the first 49ers running back to reach 1,000 rushing yards since Frank Gore did so in 2014 with 1,106 rushing yards.
McCaffrey was on pace for 1,451 rushing yards leading up to the game, a potential single-season career-high. Additionally, he was on track to rack up 2,052 all-purpose yards, which
Ambry Thomas showing 49ers there's "not that many out there better than me"
The San Francisco 49ers' defense delivered an impressive performance in Sunday's 42-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite reportedly exploring options for another starting-caliber cornerback before the October trade deadline, the team ultimately stuck with Charvarius Ward and Ambry Thomas on the outside.
Thomas playing outside has allowed Deommodore Lenoir to move to the slot corner spot. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks seems to have found a recipe for success.
Thomas has been impressive in recent weeks, earning his highest-ever overall Pro Football Focus grade (90.2) on Thanksgiving night against the Seattle Seahawks. We'll have to wait until Monday morning to learn how his performance against the Eagles compares, but it's evident that Thomas is
"We got too many weapons": 49ers defense very confident in offense
The San Francisco 49ers will undoubtedly rise to the top of most—if not all—power rankings this week after their 42-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. It will be hard to find anyone who doesn't view the Bay Area squad as the Super Bowl favorite after 13 weeks of NFL play.
San Francisco is proving to be a balanced team, equally impressive on offense and defense. Even 49ers defenders are in awe of the firepower on the offensive side of the football.
"I think the offense showed what we capable of when we're fully healthy," cornerback Charvarius Ward said in the locker room after the game.
Tough assignment: How Nick Bosa and the 49ers defense limited Jalen Hurts
On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers defense adopted a different approach against the Philadelphia Eagles. It involved a typically aggressive-minded defensive line being ... well ... less aggressive.
The unit has had its problems when facing mobile quarterbacks, often struggling to bring down elusive signal-callers, resulting in surrendering some embarrassing numbers.
They wanted to avoid that while facing Jalen Hurts, an MVP candidate who has amassed an impressive 2,328 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns in his four NFL seasons. This time, the strategy was containment. The primary objective was to prevent Hurts from exploiting the 49ers with his legs, even if it meant sacrificing potential sacks.
Passing up aggressively pursuing a quarterback can