49ers success driven by two key factors

Whew. Another end-of-game play to seal a win.

And a win that should not have come down to the final play.

But today I am going to avoid dwelling on the negatives: how the pass protection disappeared in the fourth quarter—three 3-and-outs that included two sacks, one pressure, one scramble, and five yards on two carries. Or how the secondary fell apart, with cornerback Renardo Green and safety Ashtyn Davis both giving up long passes and committing illegal-contact penalties that kept drives alive and led to Washington points.

Today, I want to talk about two positives that haven't gotten the attention they deserve.

In reviewing last season's performance, one universal conclusion was that the Niners needed to improve their pass rush. Finishing dead last in the league in sacks (20), the defense looked nothing like the strong 49ers defenses in recent memory.

Defensive tackle

One common view of rushing the passer is that it requires great edge players. That is why general manager John Lynch drafted defensive end Nick Bosa several years ago, and why many have recently written that it would be a good move to trade for an edge rusher like the Los Angeles Chargers' Khalil Mack.

But great edge play is not the only way to generate pressure. Two years ago, the Niners' run defense was terrible. Lynch drafted three defensive linemen in the first four rounds that year. Defensive tackle Alfred Collins was drafted specifically to stop the run, but unfortunately, he is out for the season with a torn patellar. And last year's first-round pick, DE Mykel Williams, was injured last season and missed half the year.

But Lynch did not stop with last year's moves.

This offseason, he made two important moves. First, he traded a third-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. Then he selected defensive tackle Gracen Halton in the fourth round of the draft.

The former has two sacks so far this season—both in the last two games—and has generated a lot of pressure. The latter also has two sacks and has produced five tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. That was a big reason the 49ers overcame the Seahawks in week 5.

Lynch also kept defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez on the team. Apparently, the Pittsburgh Steelers tried to sign him off the practice squad last year, but Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan told him he was on the cusp of making the game-day roster.

He stayed, and they were telling the truth. An undrafted free agent, Valdez is a key rotational player on the interior of the defensive line and has a sack and two tackles for loss.

And this is from the inside of the defensive line. As many have said, the outside edge rushers produce more when the defensive tackles collapse the pocket, and Odighizuwa, Halton, and company are doing just that.

Defensive end Keion White leads the team with 3.5 sacks, but he is certainly benefiting from the great play inside. The team as a whole has produced 15 sacks, on pace to reach well over double last year's total. Forty-five sacks would have been 10th in the league then.

And this is without Nick Bosa. Bosa has played only two games this year and has not recorded a sack. Last year, after he went down and Mykel Williams got injured later, the pass rush disappeared.

The biggest personnel difference this year is the addition of Odighizuwa and Halton, and the promotion of Valdez.

Williams has just returned, and he got a sack against Washington. Bosa is hopefully going to return in the next few weeks.

They are both going to benefit greatly from the performance of those defensive tackles.

Rookies

General managers are often judged on their draft classes. After Kyle Shanahan led the injury-ravaged Niners to a 12-5 record and a playoff win last year, both he and Lynch felt they needed to address depth in the offseason.

A number of those selected last April are playing significant roles in the team's undefeated start.

In addition to Halton, three others have made a big impact.

To bolster the pass rush, Lynch selected Texas Tech edge defender Romello Height in the third round. So far, he has played a rotational role on the defensive line, but against Washington, with the game on the line, Height came roaring off the edge to make back-to-back game-changing plays.

First, it was a pressure that forced Commanders' quarterback Jaylen Daniels into intentional grounding. That backed Washington up far enough that the last play would be a Hail Mary.

But they didn't have a chance, as Height teamed with Keion White to sack Daniels and end the game. The young defensive end looks like someone who can help develop the unit into the closer defense it needs.

Running back Kaelon Black is also making a difference. His numbers don't look special—45 carries for 170 yards and only two receptions—but they carry real weight.

Last year, superstar Christian McCaffrey led the league in touches with 413. That kind of workload can wear down a player, especially a running back. CMC is essential to the 49ers' success, and keeping him healthy is paramount.

This year, McCaffrey has touched the ball only 105 times. His average of 24 touches a game last year is down to just under 18 this year. And that is not because Shanahan has redesigned his offense. It is because he trusts Black to produce.

And Black has proved himself worthy of that trust. Of his eight carries against Washington, two went for first downs. If CMC is fresh at the end of the year, it's because Black's play has convinced Shanahan he can rest McCaffrey and still get production. He really hasn't felt that way before.

Forty-Niner linebackers coach K.J. Wright apparently lobbied Lynch hard to draft linebacker Jaden Dugger in the fifth round. An intriguing prospect, Dugger began his college career at safety before switching to linebacker. Some teams may not have known what his best position would be, but Wright (and new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris) saw versatility alongside his natural talent.

Dugger has played both traditional off-ball linebacker and occasional edge rusher. He is sometimes the third linebacker in base packages, and that role may grow as the season progresses.

Against the Commanders, the defense was without one of its emotional leaders, Dre Greenlaw, due to a one-game suspension. Dugger was tapped to replace him, and his performance in that role might have gone a long way toward determining the outcome.

Dugger produced, tallying a team-high eleven tackles.

So far, this year has been very enjoyable, even with the heart-stopping endings the Faithful have endured the past two games.

Last year, the team struggled with injuries. Injuries have raised their ugly heads again and again this year (San Francisco may be starting the fifth and sixth wide receivers on the depth chart at the beginning of the season), but success has continued to come.

And it is coming from the interior of the defensive line, and often led by the youngest on the squad. Pundits often point out the 49ers have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL. They apparently haven't noticed how many young guys are making the future look bright for years to come.