Some changes in the secondary made a difference
The 49ers defense had some adjustments to make during the bye week. Steve Wilks came down from the booth, the pass rush was getting home, and the secondary created turnovers. Chase Young, Javon Hargrave, and Nick Bosa were terrorizing Trevor Lawrence. All is right in 49er land for one week. Let’s look at the snap counts for the defense.
Defensive Line – Nick Bosa 37, Javon Hargrave 37, Chase Young 35, Arik Armstead 34, Javon Kinlaw 24, Kevin Givens 22, Clelin Ferrell 22, Randy Gregory 21
Young, Bosa, and Hargrave tied with four pressures and combined for four sacks. Bosa threw in a forced fumble, and the trio combined for five hurries and five defensive stops. Clelin Ferrell and Arik Armstead had a sack each. Wilks opened the game with a five-down linemen look for the first two plays and consistently showed different looks from the defensive line.
Linebackers – Fred Warner 54, Dre Greenlaw 52, Oren Burks 12, Curtis Robinson 3, Dee Winters 1
Another fine game for Warner, as PFF graded him at 90.0 overall defensively and 92.0 in run defense. Warner totaled four tackles, three defensive stops, a pressure, and a QB hit. The only negative is Warner and Greenlaw combined for three missed tackles. It continues to be an issue for the defense, as the team missed seven tackles. Greenlaw chipped in four defensive stops and finished with an overall defensive grade of 75.0.
Secondary – Charvarius Ward 54, Tashaun Gipson Sr. 54, Talanoa Hufanga 53, Deommodore Lenoir 53, Ambry Thomas 46, Ji’Ayir Brown 4, Isaiah Oliver 3, Curtis Robinson 3, Shemar Jean-Charles 3, George Odum 3
The biggest adjustment out of the bye week was Deommodore Lenoir kicking inside and Ambry Thomas starting opposite Charvarius Ward at cornerback. Thomas finished with the best coverage grade, according to PFF, at 82.3. Thomas allowed two catches for 14 yards and committed one penalty, but had a key strip sack and an almost touchdown with the Jaguars in the red zone.
Whenever a ball is tipped, it’s safe to assume it’ll fall into Talanoa Hufanga’s hands. Ward didn’t allow a single catch on Sunday but committed two penalties. Lenoir allowed seven catches on seven targets for 107 yards and a passer rating of 118.8.
Isaiah Oliver has been effectively replaced. Three snaps on Sunday, and the team hopes Thomas can springboard after this performance.
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