San Francisco 49ers: Run defense returning to respectability

The San Francisco 49ers’ run defense was a laughing stock last year but, thanks largely to their depth up front, it is returning to respectability in 2017.

Over the past few seasons it has been easy to find fault with the San Francisco 49ers, but perhaps the area for which the team has been most maligned is the run defense. In 2016, San Francisco set records for all the wrong reasons, the Niners’ run defense allowing the most yards on the ground in franchise history by giving up a league-worst 165.9 yards per game.

This year the raw numbers have suggested more of the same, with the 49ers again among the worst in the league in rush yards conceded per game with 121.3.

But the improvement in recent weeks has been there for all to see. The 49ers have not given up 100 yards rushing in any of their last three games, and a deeper look at the statistics indicates this is actually quite an efficient run defense. San Francisco is giving up just 3.9 yards per carry this season, tied for the seventh-best average in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks.

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That tallies with what we have largely seen on the field from the 49ers. Save for a couple of bad performances where Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott ran roughshod over San Francisco, opposing runners have had to grind it out to get their yardage against this team.

Football Outsiders ranks the 49ers’ run defense at No. 17 in the NFL, but also suggests that San Francisco is dictating terms at the line of scrimmage in short yardage situations.

The Football Outsiders metric ‘power success’ charts the percentage of runs on third and fourth down with two yards or less to go — as well as runs on first-and-goal and second-and-goal from inside the two-yard line — that went for a first down or a touchdown.

Against the 49ers, opponents have a power success rate of just 61 percent, putting the Niners as the 12th-best team in the league in that regard. Additionally, the 49ers have tackled running backs at or behind the line of scrimmage on 22% of carries, only nine teams in the league can claim a higher percentage.

The reasoning for this improvement is relatively straightforward — the 49ers are healthier.

Though Solomon Thomas may not have had the impact many desired as a pass rusher, the third overall pick has already proven himself to be an extremely proficient run defender. His return to the lineup has been key in the 49ers’ upturn against the run, the former Stanford star showing the ability to set the edge while also demonstrating impressive speed on backside pursuit.

The return of Tank Carradine, who himself was showing signs of progression at the big end position on the defensive front, also had an influence in the Week 14 win over the Texans. Reuben Foster’s impact in attacking blocks head on downhill and pursuing runs to the outside cannot be overstated. The first-round rookie linebacker leads the team with six tackles for loss despite having only played seven games so far.

DeForest Buckner’s consistency in generating penetration on the interior also aids the 49ers’ cause, as does having an experienced run defender in Earl Mitchell at nose tackle.

The 49ers are deep up front — free-agent additions Sheldon Day and Leger Douzable have contributed — boast a seemingly elite talent at linebacker and get ample run support help from the secondary through safeties Adrian Colbert and Eric Reid and a corner in Ahkello Witherspoon whose tackling has improved significantly.

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During the Jim Harbaugh years, San Francisco’s run defense was the best in the NFL. It’s still a long way from returning to that peak, but the investment the 49ers have made in the front seven is finally beginning to pay off and this unit is taking steps towards becoming one of the better run defenses in the league once more.