While the 49ers’ Week 15 win over the Tennessee Titans never looked in doubt, the dominant nature of the victory did not mask a troubling performance from the San Francisco defense, which will need to bounce
back if Kyle Shanahan’s playoff-bound Niners are to take another step towards the one seed in the NFC by beating the Indianapolis Colts.
The 49ers proved hugely susceptible to the run, giving up 6.8 yards per rush, with Tony Pollard averaging 7.4 yards a carry as he racked up 104 yards and a touchdown.
San Francisco was relatively successful in getting off the field as the Titans went three for nine on third down, with three of their drives ending in a punt. Yet the secondary had a difficult day in preventing the big play and Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward had what was his best game of the season by passer rating (101.2) — prior to Tennessee’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs (122.3) — as he threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns.
The defensive issues stemmed in part from a glaring lack of pass rush. The 49ers had zero sacks on 29 pass attempts on a quarterback who, following the Titans’ clash with the Chiefs, has suffered 51 sacks this season.
In addition, the drop-off in play at linebacker was noticeable with several members of the depth chart at that position sidelined.
Curtis Robinson’s story is a superb tale of perseverance and it has been great to see the 49ers’ Man of the Year nominee get his chance to start, yet the drop-off from Fred Warner — watching again from the stands as he rehabs his ankle injury — to third-stringer Robinson at MIKE linebacker could hardly have been more stark.
Robinson’s athletic limitations showed up in coverage and against the run as the 49ers continually gave up significant gains to the Titans on outside zone runs.
The 49ers can ill-afford have sub-par play at linebacker in their matchup against the Colts, one in which Indianapolis will likely lean on Jonathan Taylor and the run game to take the pressure off 44-year-old Philip Rivers in his second start since his surprise return to the game.
Rivers is sure to focus on attacking short to intermediate areas and place an emphasis on throws inside the numbers, making improved play at linebacker paramount.
Fortunately, the 49ers won’t need to rely on Robinson on Monday Night Football.
A double boost at linebacker
Rookie seventh-rounder Tatum Bethune is back from an ankle injury and primed to return to the MIKE spot. While Bethune is far from the caliber of Warner, he gives the 49ers a huge boost over Robinson with his athleticism and play in pursuit.
On top of that, veteran Eric Kendricks shaking off a calf injury puts him in a position to make his debut with an elevation from the practice squad. With Bethune, Dee Winters and potentially Kendricks in the lineup, the 49ers have a strong blend of physical gifts and experience at linebacker.
The 49ers can, as such, afford to have some confidence of limiting Rivers’ safety nets, and there is also reason for optimism surrounding the anaemic pass rush.
Pass rush in a better spot
Sam Okuayinonu, quietly one of the 49ers’ better pass rushers this season, is set to return from an ankle injury and play for the first time since the Week 12 win over the Carolina Panthers, while Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) is questionable to make his return and play for the first time since Week 5.
If the 49ers get back Gross-Matos back in addition to Okuayinonu, it would greatly diversify San Francisco’s options up front by giving them two pass rushers who can thrive playing both inside and out. Gross-Matos, who still leads all interior defensive linemen in pass rush win rate (23.8%) despite only playing five games, figures to offer a substantial boost to the 49ers’ hopes of generating pass rush up the middle.
San Francisco’s defense is still far from full strength but, with the positive injury news at linebacker and on the defensive front, the 49ers are in a much better spot to defend against the Colts’ attack and make the most of going against a quarterback who has significant limitations at this point in his career.
In a key primetime matchup, the 49er defense is in an excellent position for a bounce-back effort.
