The 49ers’ identity under head coach Kyle Shanahan has been unmistakable. They’re a defense-first team that is very hard to beat when the offense is even just average. That was the case Monday night in San Francisco’s 24-9 win over the Rams, and a stellar defensive effort helped them climb back to No. 11 in the USA TODAY power rankings.
It’s clear after Week 4 that the 49ers’ formula for winning hasn’t changed over the last year. They rode a strong defensive effort through the playoffs to the NFC championship game. This year they’ve ridden strong defensive efforts to a 2-2 start and the lead via tiebreaker in the NFC West.
