SANTA CLARA — The national storyline has everything to do with Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance and a 49ers team that in its best years has won because of quarterback play and a cutting-edge offense.
But in the wake of Lance’s departure for the season, running back Elijah Mitchell’s two-month absence with an MCL strain and the so-far absence of George Kittle, the 49ers’ defense will have a bigger say in determining if the team is of championship caliber.
The 49ers looked up to the task in a 27-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, one week after a 19-10 loss to the Chicago Bears where they dominated statistically but lost a 10-0 halftime lead.
With a defense that has as many big-time players as the 49ers, it was unacceptable despite the meager yardage totals allowed to the Bears.
The 49ers have given up just 430 yards of total offense in two games — 204 to Chicago and 216 to Seattle.
“We were in a kind of eerily similar situation to last week, and last week we didn’t come out and finish the game so we made sure we weren’t going to let up at all,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said. “I think we did that.”
Bosa had two sacks of Geno Smith against Seattle, and had another in the opener of Justin Fields. He’s a popular choice for defensive player of the year and has done nothing to dissuade the notion.
If Bosa has a final number of sacks in mind — he had 15 1/2 last season — he’s keeping it to himself.
“I don’t really think about a number but I’ll rack up as many as I can,” Bosa said.
Let’s assume the first week was an outlier in terms of second-half points allowed based on how little the Bears did other than a few big plays and lots of help from penalties (the 49ers had 12 for 99 yards). It’s fair to wonder if the 49ers have a defense to rival the 2019 unit that helped a 13-3 team to the Super Bowl.
The defensive line is deep, with Bosa as its star, a potential rookie bookend in Drake Jackson and an interior unit led by Arik Armstead that through two games is giving up rushing yardage at a clip of 2.6 yards per carry.
“We didn’t run the ball worth a darn today and I’ll give them credit,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “They’re real.”
The linebacking crew of Fred Warner in the middle, flanked by Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair, may be the best threesome in the NFL when it comes to range and play-making ability.
Cornerback Mooney Ward, the big-ticket free agent signing from Kansas City, was the recipient of a gift interception on a halfback option pass from DeeJay Dallas intended for DK Metcalf to thwart a Seattle scoring opportunity. Emmanuel Moseley mans the other side with rookie Samuel Womack III at slot corner.
The breakout player through two games has been Talanoa Hufanga at strong safety. Known for his scoop-and-score touchdown against Green Bay in the playoffs on a blocked punt, Hufanga has been all over the field through two games.
The 49ers’ first interception Sunday came on a pass Hufanga batted into the air, with veteran Tashaun Gipson hauling in the interception. The 49ers expect to get veteran free safety Jimmie Ward back after four games on injured reserve.
On paper, there isn’t another team in the NFL with this kind of defensive strength on all three levels, and the 49ers’ defenders know it even if they’re not saying it out loud.
“I think it all starts up front, the penetration, the D-line wreaking havoc every single down and it makes our job in the back end so easy just playing off them,” Warner said. “You go into every game stopping the run and it’s a mindset of all 11 swarming to the ball. I think you turn on the tape, you see that.”
The 49ers pitched a shutout defensively against the Seahawks, with the lone Seattle score coming on an 86-yard return of a blocked field goal by Michael Jackson on special teams.
“It really was what we expected,” defensive tackle Armstead said. “We feel we can dominate and not let people put points on the board against us. It really is just the expectation for us.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan, a fan of sarcasm when appropriate, chided the defense for missing the shutout.
“The defense was just unbelievable,” Shanahan said. “I just got on them for not shutting them out. They took offense to that.”
Defensive penalties helped sink the 49ers in the monsoon in Chicago, but were not an issue in the light rain at Levi’s. The only penalty against the 49ers was a debatable 26-yard pass interference flag against Moseley.
Considering penalties contributed to two Bears touchdown drives, it was significant in that it helped the 49ers hold off an inferior opponent.
“That’s definitely a big improvement for us, just being smarter with certain things,” Bosa said. “When you’re suffocating an offense like we have the past two weeks, that could be game-changing.”
Hufanga, a standout in both games, adds an element that may be a surprise to some but not to Warner.
“He had an opportunity to really take hold of the position and he showed up ready to go,” Warner said. “We’re seeing the fruits of his labor, really. He’s just going out and being himself, not doing too much out of the game plan.”
With the 49ers’ offense likely to keep a run-first tact and play ball control, it’s the defense that will set the tone by consistently getting the ball back. Next up is a road game in Denver and longtime nemesis Russell Wilson. The Broncos have struggled offensively through two games but with the 49ers being 4-17 against Wilson, it’s not likely they’ll take him for granted.
Then come the Rams, who appeared to wake up offensively in a 31-27 win over Atlanta, followed by road games against Carolina and Atlanta, with new quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield and Marcus Mariota.
A good defense will keep the 49ers in position to win. The 49ers are showing signs of being beyond good defensively, with the next four games providing an indication of whether greatness is a possibility before hosting the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 23.
Not that Warner, after beating Seattle, is looking ahead at anything past the first series against Denver on Sunday night.
“We learned (against Chicago) about not playing a four-quarter game,” Warner said. “We had a couple of plays where they made plays on us. We wanted to play a full four-quarter game.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com