The San Franscico 49ers have morphed into one of the most dominating defenses in the league, especially in the trenches. Over the last three weeks they have allowed zero second half points and have also allowed the second least amount of yards per play, 4.5, per teamrankings.
Joey Bosa, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga are the heart of this defense. They have been playing like an absolute unit and they are all lead by second year defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.
Ryans’ prides his defense in getting to the ball quickly. He was asked about tackling after last Sunday’s 13-0 win over the New Orleans Saints, here is what he had to say: “We want all eleven guys, as fast as they can, shooting their gun, it doesn’t matter if you miss a tackle, there should be two or three guys there to clean up. That’s just our mentality, a swarm mentality. tracking inside heel, being in proper leverage, and when you get there, there is no hesitating”.
The 49ers defense registered only one missed tackle against the Los Angeles Chargers per Pro Football Focus, and they had a similar performance in week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Let’s dive into the film to diagnose the swarm mentality they have in all three levels of the defense!
Nick Bosa: The guy you have to watch on every play.
Nick Bosa has been playing at the top of his game. He currently has the third most sacks in the league, 11.5, and he’s also tied-fourth in tackles for loss, 13, per Pro Football Reference.
Last week against the New Orleans Saints, he had a critical sack on a fourth down that continued the 49ers scoreless second half streak.
He timed his jump perfectly and executed a swim move to beat their left tackle with ease.
“I think the thing about our group is it’s about them rushing together as a group,” Ryans said on September 30, when asked how he’s made the most out of his more underrated quarterback disruptors. “You know Bosa gets a lot of attention as the edge rusher, which is rightfully so, because he’s such a dynamic player. So it’s just about all those guys, just whoever, it’s opposite him or whoever’s inside, it’s all about those guys rushing together as one. So the more they can be coordinated, make sure they’re communicating with their stunts and games the proper way, and rushing together like that, that’s what makes our group go. That’s what makes our group effective is all those guys working together.”
When Bosa isn’t lined up one-on-one, defensive coordinator Ryans has Bosa and Warner working together with stunts forcing offensive lineman to choose between the two.
In Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers, it was third-and-8 when getting to quarterback is critical. Here is an excellent example how the 49ers call a stunt to isolate Bosa one-on-one, putting the Chargers’ right tackle in a terrible position.
This forced Foster Sarell to have to choose between picking up Bosa, or crashing down to pick up Warner coming through on a loop around blitz through the ‘B-gap’.
Them working as a unit is critical for their success. The wide-nine defensive philosophy keeps the defensive ends lined up far outside the offensive tackles. At the snap, Bosa will keep his outside arm free forcing the ball carriers inside for the linebackers to clean up.
Here’s an example of that against the Chargers, when they hand the ball off to Isaiah Spiller:
Even with Bosa’s dominance in the passing game with his pass-rush techniques, he’s also a team player in the run game. Not only racking up tackles, but also funneling plays towards the middle of the field.
Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw: The heart of the defense.
The 49ers’ success isn’t solely because they have a top pass rusher in Bosa, or the best linebacker in the league, in Warner. Even with his performance last week, five tackles for loss, seven combined tackles, two passes defensed, a force fumble and a quarterback hit. He is everywhere! But so is Greenlaw. According to PFF, these two are both graded as top 10 linebackers.
Warner and Greenlaw have been poetry in motion when on the field together.
These two are a big reason for the defense being ranked first in the run game, per Football Outsiders, first in percentage of drives ending in a score, 25.7%, first in total yards allowed, 3,099, per ESPN. Also ranking second in tackles, 82.8, fifth in yards per drive allowed, 27.4; and allowing the second least completions versus screens, 76.7%, all per PFF.
These two work together to make stops in coverage, against the screens and also filing their gaps in the run-game. Here they are last week when defending Alvan Kamara as he got the check-down.
These two are constantly on a string. When Greenlaw gets to the flat, Warner is flying in from the middle crashing to the ball.
Here they are defending the run and filling each gap leaving Kamara with nowhere to go.
Last week against the Cardinals, they showed a great example of how they play together even when dropping in coverage.
They both drop back into zone and as DeAndre Hopkins crosses Greenlaw’s face, Warner steps up to force the quarterback to hold onto the ball, and guess who is there to clean up, Bosa.
Now let’s dive into the last layer of the 49ers defense.
Talanoa Hufanga: The last line of this great defense.
Second-year safety Talanoa Hufanga has been the rising star of this 49ers defense. Selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft out of USC, he’s exceeded expectations. Whether it’s getting into the backfield to redirect running backs, rushing the passer, or disrupting catches in the open field, Hufanga has been this defense’s unsung hero.
Last week on the Saints’ second trip in the red zone in the second half, he made the play of the game. As Greenlaw picked up Kamara, Hufanga made a play on the ball forcing a turnover.
Talanoa Hufanga is a DAWG! #49ers pic.twitter.com/247BqgfSAx
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) November 27, 2022
Our own Doug Farrar has said that Hufanga has been playing like a “embryonic Troy Polamalu”, and he’s dead on accurate. In Hufanga’s 11 starts, he has four interceptions, seven passes defensed, five tackles for loss, one touchdown, one force fumble, and one sack.
Hufanga crashes to the ball quickly with ferocious tenacity. Check out this play against the Chargers where he was playing in coverage and as soon as the ball is caught at the 24-yard line, Hufanga crashes like a missile allowing only one yard after the catch.
What makes the 49ers’ defense great, is how all three levels play as a whole. In the clip below, Hufanga, Greenlaw and Warner are all in coverage and watch how they move in unison to force the quarterback to take a sack.
Greenlaw takes the outside, Hufanga steps up and Warner picks up the running back over the middle.
These three guys are the reason why the 49ers are tied for first with the least amount of touchdowns allowed, nine.
Against the Cardinals, all three crash to the ball carrier quickly, each getting credit for the tackle.
This 49ers defense is not just one player or positional group doing all the work; they all contribute to the 49ers’ success.
Niners DC DeMeco Ryans dialed up a gem. Players executed with fury. When players believe in a leader and he puts them in place to succeed, you’ve got something special. And to think, this unit should keep getting better #lawd
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) October 4, 2022
Ryans will be the reason why this team goes on a deep playoff run. They have the ability to prevent a rushing attack, unlike some other top teams in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
Preventing their opponents run game, this also eliminates the deception of the play-action pass, which can make teams less dynamic.
The 49ers first test against a team who doesn’t rely on the run will be this weekend’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins. This defense has to be at the top of their game when facing Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. If they can keep the Dolphins playmakers in front of them, there is a great chance that the 49ers can solidify themselves as a top team to the beat in the NFL.
The Dolphins could be their biggest test of the season.
Now, this defense must face a Dolphins offense that ranks second overall in DVOA, and first in the passing game. Tua Tagovailoa has been one of the NFL’s most effective quarterbacks, led by head coach and former Kyle Shanahan assistant Mike McDaniel, so Ryans knows exactly what his guys are going up against.
“I think the Dolphins, their offense is very efficient because of the quarterback,” Ryans said Thursday. “Tua is very efficient at not only getting the ball out quick, but the accuracy and the way he delivers the ball that allows the offense to be as efficient as they are. And you add the playmakers in that he has with 10 [Tyreek Hill], 17 [Jaylen Waddle], 31 [Raheem Mostert], those guys all have elite speed and big-time playmaking ability where they can take an intermediate throw and they can make a guy miss and go to the house. Not all offenses have that,
“I think that’s where this offense really lights it up because each throw, it doesn’t have to be a 50-yard bomb down the field, it can be a screen behind the line of scrimmage, and these guys have the speed and the playmaking ability to make guys miss and go to the house.”
If the 49ers are able to pass this test as they have all others, it might be time to talk Super Bowl… or very close.
