If this 2019 unit remains at that level the remainder of the season, there surely will be a place for it on this list of the most dominant defenses the 49ers have fielded.
1 1990: The greatest four-year run of defensive dominance in franchise history culminated with this unit finishing third in the NFL in total defense and second in rushing defense with Charles Haley winning NFC Defensive Player of the Year honors after a 16-sack performance. This would also be the swan song for Ronnie Lott in a 49ers uniform with the future Hall of Famer earning All-Pro first-team honors for the seventh time in 10 seasons.
2 1981: It was defense that got the San Francisco dynasty rolling in this magical Super Bowl season, as the arrival of Jack Reynolds at linebacker and rookies Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson in the secondary helped transform a unit that finished second in the NFL in total defense (the 49ers ranked 13th in total offense) and third in passing defense. Defensive end Fred Dean and safety Dwight Hicks joined Ronnie Lott on All-Pro teams and Dean earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.
3 1989: As an encore after winning Super Bowl XXIII the season before, perhaps San Francisco’s best team ever also had one of the franchise’s best defenses. Ronnie Lott was the headliner, but a unit that finished fourth in the NFL in total defense had standouts throughout the lineup and a stellar front seven that rotated 11 quality performers.
Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Niner Report.
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Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Niner Report.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Set 49ers lineup still has several new starters
Calling all cornerbacks
Loss of Verrett exposes 49ers’ thin depth at CB
Always finding their way to run
49ers system accomplished at developing homegrown talent
ANOTHER COMEBACK?
Resilient veteran Verrett to miss rest of season
TOP 10 Rookie running backs
THE BACK LIST
STOCK UP STOCK DOWN
DEOMMODORE LENOIR | AMBRY THOMAS
Will Mostert run for 49ers again?
Raheem Mostert was primed this year to be the centerpiece of one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses, featured as the lead performer in San Francisco’s grinding rushing attack while making his climb among the league’s top running backs.
THE WONDER OF WARNER
49ers make All-Pro star highest-paid LB in NFL
Making the right choice at QB
In the weeks that follow after you read this — and perhaps sometime even sooner than that — Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers organization will make a titanic decision that will have present, future and perhaps even everlasting implications for the franchise. It will chart the course for the team’s pivotal 2021 season while determining whether San Francisco really does have the juice to return to powerhouse status and again be considered a legitimate contender to get back to the Super Bowl.
TOP 10 Linebacker seasons
Fred Warner vaulted to stardom with a spectacular 2020 season — and the 49ers rewarded him this summer with a $95.225 million deal that makes him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. By today’s standards, Warner’s performance last year was worth the money as he posted an Approximate Value of 19 — matching the highest score ever recorded by a San Francisco defender according to a Pro Football Reference formula that puts a single number on each player-season across all positions since 1960. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (twice) also had seasons with an AV of 19 as they dominate this list of the greatest individual seasons by a linebacker in 49ers history.
