San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers Run Defense Turned a Corner in Week 10 versus the Cardinals

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The San Francisco 49ers defense managed to hold its own against the Arizona Cardinals ground game in Week 10. Despite the Niners’ 23-20 loss, San Francisco has to feel pretty good about its run-defense efforts.

Yes, the San Francisco 49ers still rank dead last in the league against the run.

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But it’s a mark which saw some commendable improvement during the Niners’ 23-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10.

Here’s a stat that should inspire some confidence for defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s unit — San Francisco allowed a total of just 80 yards on the ground. Yes, you read that right. Better yet, the Niners defense held Cardinals running back David Johnson to a mere 55 yards on 19 attempts.

That’s a lowly 2.9 yards per carry for a guy who had 705 rushing yards — fourth best entering Week 10 — on the season.

A common thought was Johnson might have a historic performance against a historically bad defense. But it didn’t happen. San Francisco’s defense swarmed and contained ball-carriers right at the point of attack.

True, Johnson burned the Niners for two touchdowns — one on the ground and one through the air — but San Francisco has to be feeling a bit more confident about its efforts.

So what happened? Why is this unit looking better than what we’ve seen ever since Week 2?

Aug 5, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead (91) walks out onto the field at SAP Performance Facility at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

DE Arik Armstead’s Injury

This isn’t an indictment against second-year defensive end Arik Armstead at all. And the shoulder injury, which landed him on injured reserve, likely played a major role.

Armstead was terrible against the run before getting hurt. According to Pro Football Focus, last year’s first-round pick had a 39.1 grade against the run — last among all Niners front-seven defenders.

Shelving him meant an increased workload for better run stoppers like defensive tackles Quinton Dial and Glenn Dorsey.

And Niners Wire’s Chris Biderman pointed out the obvious in San Francisco’s stat line:

This isn’t to say the 49ers defense is better without Armstead. Rather this unit is merely better equipped to stop the run without Armstead and his injury-riddled shoulder.

What Worked for the 49ers

Dorsey and Dial are the Niners’ top-two run defenders on the interior, per PFF. But rookie defensive end DeForest Buckner also had his best game as a pro.

Nov 13, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end DeForest Buckner (99) recovers a fumble against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Buckner finished with three tackles, one sack and three quarterback hits. The pass-rushing prowess remains, but his work against the run was one area of concern. Sunday’s efforts pushed the rookie’s run-defense grade up to a respectable 68.4 mark, per PFF.

Moving him from right defensive end to the left seemed to work well enough. It’s likely this will be how defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil keeps things moving forward.

Linebacker Gerald Hodges also saw an increased workload — 45 snaps, according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area.

Hodges (81.1 grade against the run) is San Francisco’s best run defender on the year, per PFF.

Most importantly, the Niners defense didn’t hurt themselves with missed tackles. According to Pro Football Talk (h/t Maiocco) the 49ers had only four missed tackles on the day. And no player had more than one during the game.

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Despite the loss, the defensive efforts worked well enough. Tack on the Niners weren’t totally in trouble, in terms of time of possession, and the Cardinals seemed happy enough to pass even late in the game.

It was a formula which worked for San Francisco.

One game won’t be a telltale sign for this defense though. Consistency is the major issue. Remember what analysts said of the Niners when they shut down Los Angeles Rams tailback Todd Gurley in Week 1?

Those days are long gone now. But a strong effort against Johnson is certainly a step in the right direction.

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