Not everything has gone right for the 49ers through five weeks. Rarely does it ever. This is a team that has continually had to battle adversity during the Kyle Shanahan era and they have already had plenty this season as injuries have again threatened to derail their progress.
With Trey Lance’s season just five quarters old before it was ended abruptly by an ankle injury, the 49ers were dealt another huge blow amid a slew of injuries suffered in their Week 5 win over the Carolina Panthers as starting cornerback Emmanuel Moseley suffered a torn ACL that brought his campaign to a conclusion.
The loss of Moseley, who had been enjoying a superb season and scored on a pick-six of Baker Mayfield against Carolina, leaves the 49ers with a potential vulnerability on a defense that has displayed none through the opening five weeks.
San Francisco’s defense is first in the NFL by Football Outsiders DVOA and, according to rbsdm.com, by Expected Points Added per play and Success Rate.
The 49ers are allowing 4.01 yards per play, also the league’s best. Per Pro Football Reference, their pressure rate of 31.5 percent is second only to the Dallas Cowboys (33.6) while they have more sacks (21) and tackles for loss (36).
This a swarming defense that excels at creating splash plays behind the line of scrimmage and has the depth and plays with the discipline to continue to thrive despite injuries.
DeMeco Ryans’ group was still one of the league’s best last season despite a constantly changing cast of characters in the secondary, finishing seventh in DVOA, and in 2020 a unit led by Robert Saleh and decimated by injuries was sixth in DVOA.
In 2022, there has been no sign of a drop-off regardless of who has been in the lineup in a testament to Ryans and his defensive staff. Their coaching, and the fact Jason Verrett, Deommodore Lenoir and Samuel Womack are all compelling candidates to fill the void left by Moseley, should give the 49ers confidence the defense can maintain its level even after losing a critical member of the secondary.
If such confidence is vindicated, then there is little doubt the 49ers have a championship formula when their defensive play is combined with the performances they have produced on offense of late.
Against the Panthers, the 49ers controlled the clock in the second half with long touchdown drives in which they leaned heavily on the run game, putting the Panthers in a deep hole and leaving them with little time in which to climb out of it.
San Francisco racked up 153 yards on the ground at an average of 5.3 yards per carry. The 49ers were also efficient in key situations, going seven of 12 on third down and four for four in the red zone, with Jimmy Garoppolo playing mistake-free football as he averaged 8.43 yards per attempt and threw two touchdowns. Garoppolo was composed in the pocket, decisive and accurate throughout in what was his best performance of the season so far.
The 49ers have lived the Garoppolo experience long enough to know they will not get that every week, but if they get it often enough, they will be an excellent position to solidify to challenge to win the NFC West and go deep into the playoffs.
In a year where several of their rivals, namely the Rams, Packers and Buccaneers, are struggling to move the ball with consistency, a recipe that sees the 49ers rely on a defense that is definitively the best in the NFL and play efficient ball-control offense with Garoppolo limiting his mistakes is one that could take San Francisco back to the grandest stage in the game. A lot has gone wrong for the 49ers already, but the things they are doing right have the potential to pay tremendous dividends.
