Much-maligned 49ers defense comes through against Panthers

In this article, I wrote about the pedestrian, though frustrating, nature of last night's game.

Now, I want to do a little more with the nitty-gritty. People will talk about quarterback Brock Purdy's horrendous outing and how running back Christian McCaffrey put the team on his shoulders and led the Niners to victory. (Tight end George Kittle had a lot to do with it, too.)

But I want to talk about the defense. That side of the ball has been much-maligned of late, and for good reason. They are last in the league in sacks. They have struggled against the run. They are 27th in turnover differential and 27th in interceptions. They are 26th in passing yards per game and last in the league in sacks.

But last night, they had two interceptions, one a monumental pick by safety Ji'Ayir Brown in the end zone to thwart a Carolina drive after quarterback Brock Purdy had thrown an interception of his own.

Last night, the defense held the Panthers to 69 yards rushing. Now, some might point to Carolina's yards per carry, a strong 5.3, but context is important. Roughly a third of those yards came on two runs. Take those away, and they averaged 3.8.

Carolina running back Rico Dowdle has been strong ever since he took over the starting role, putting up over 100 yards from scrimmage four times. He was not close to that last night.

In the passing game, Carolina quarterback Bryce Young targeted star rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan seven times, resulting in just two catches. One was a long touchdown catch, but for the most part, cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, and Upton Stout shut him down. McMillan is on pace for over 1,100 yards this season, but last night did not come close to his average.

The studio analysts have repeated that the Niner offense will need to score a lot of points if the team is to win games, as the defense is simply short on talent, but last night was the reverse. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh tells his players to view an offensive turnover, especially one in their own territory, as an "opportunity."

Last night, the Panthers ran back Purdy's first interception to the 49ers' 16-yard line. I was hoping the defense could hold them to a field goal. Instead, Brown killed the threat completely with his first interception.

After Purdy's second interception, the defense forced a three-and-out. After his third interception, which again put them in easy field-goal range, the defense did indeed hold them to three.

No, the Niner defense is, on balance, not very good. Very few defenses could perform at a high level after losing their two superstars, an ascending rookie, and various depth pieces. We know they will struggle until they get back to normal next year with linebacker Fred Warner, defensive end Nick Bosa, and rookie defensive lineman Mykel Williams back on the field. But nickel back Upton Stout and run-stuffing defensive tackle Alfred Collins are showing real promise and will only get better.

There is reason to be optimistic for next year, but today, I want to give accolades to the unit that saved the game last night, a group of 11 who fight over every inch of grass, and who play with the character of champions.