The 49ers are 4-0; you can't argue that they are not a good team.
However, their opponents thus far have a combined winning percentage of 25%, so I think it's fair to wonder how good they actually are. For the record, the Hawks opponents have a combined winning percentage of 39%, so they haven't been knocking the doors of good teams either.
The 49ers still have a few question marks that we haven't seen tested. These aren't meant to be critical. I'm just pointing out my concerns for them moving forward.
1) What happens when they play a good run defense?
The best run defense they played was against Tampa Bay. Tampa largely dominated the 49ers offense, and Jimmy G struggled when he had to carry the offense. Now, the 49ers won that game comfortably, but that had a lot to do with Tampa turning the ball over 4 times.
Every other team they've played has either been slightly below average at defending the run (Steelers), or among the worst in the league (Bengals, Browns).
They run a lot of misdirection/trap plays. I don't think those will be as effective against the better defenses in the league, and their offense seems predicated on the success of those plays.
2) What happens when their defense has to play from behind?
I'll be honest, the 49ers defense looks every bit as frightening as the Bears or Patriots, and they haven't gotten nearly the amount of respect they deserve.
Here's the thing though, we haven't seen them play from behind. Their front 7 outside of Jones is small, and they are built to play with a lead. The amount of pressure their front 7 is generating is (IMO) protecting a pretty average secondary. What happens when they have to play from behind and the defensive line can't pin their ears back and get after the QB? Does the back-end get exposed? Can a relatively small front 7 hold up against the run?
If they can answer those questions they have the potential to be one of the best defenses we've seen since 2015.
Other than that... I really don't see a glaring weakness outside of the unknown that is Garoppolo. They are a good team, and deserve to be in the conversation with the Hawks and Rams. The Rams will test their defense this week. Mcvay will attack them in the middle of the field, and try to use the speed of their front 7 against them in the running game. I think the Rams sellout against the run, and do everything to make Garoppolo win this game, giving us the opportunity to see what he's made of in a meaningful game. Anything short of a blow out loss is a good sign for the 49ers. If they blow out the Rams... my level of concern sky rockets.
However, their opponents thus far have a combined winning percentage of 25%, so I think it's fair to wonder how good they actually are. For the record, the Hawks opponents have a combined winning percentage of 39%, so they haven't been knocking the doors of good teams either.
The 49ers still have a few question marks that we haven't seen tested. These aren't meant to be critical. I'm just pointing out my concerns for them moving forward.
1) What happens when they play a good run defense?
The best run defense they played was against Tampa Bay. Tampa largely dominated the 49ers offense, and Jimmy G struggled when he had to carry the offense. Now, the 49ers won that game comfortably, but that had a lot to do with Tampa turning the ball over 4 times.
Every other team they've played has either been slightly below average at defending the run (Steelers), or among the worst in the league (Bengals, Browns).
They run a lot of misdirection/trap plays. I don't think those will be as effective against the better defenses in the league, and their offense seems predicated on the success of those plays.
2) What happens when their defense has to play from behind?
I'll be honest, the 49ers defense looks every bit as frightening as the Bears or Patriots, and they haven't gotten nearly the amount of respect they deserve.
Here's the thing though, we haven't seen them play from behind. Their front 7 outside of Jones is small, and they are built to play with a lead. The amount of pressure their front 7 is generating is (IMO) protecting a pretty average secondary. What happens when they have to play from behind and the defensive line can't pin their ears back and get after the QB? Does the back-end get exposed? Can a relatively small front 7 hold up against the run?
If they can answer those questions they have the potential to be one of the best defenses we've seen since 2015.
Other than that... I really don't see a glaring weakness outside of the unknown that is Garoppolo. They are a good team, and deserve to be in the conversation with the Hawks and Rams. The Rams will test their defense this week. Mcvay will attack them in the middle of the field, and try to use the speed of their front 7 against them in the running game. I think the Rams sellout against the run, and do everything to make Garoppolo win this game, giving us the opportunity to see what he's made of in a meaningful game. Anything short of a blow out loss is a good sign for the 49ers. If they blow out the Rams... my level of concern sky rockets.