The San Francisco 49ers are sitting pretty at 4-0, rolling into a rivalry game, but if you’re not paying attention to how they got there, you’re missing the real story. These guys are no strangers to players rising out of nowhere when injuries hit, and this season is no different. We’re talking about depth pieces getting thrown into the fire and absolutely delivering.
This Valdez Guy Is Causing Chaos On Defense
Last week, Sebastian Valdez, a defensive tackle nobody outside of Santa Clara probably knew, was the definition of an unsung hero. Seriously, this dude is making defensive coordinator Raheem Morris rethink everything. Valdez was impacting or winning on a staggering 40% of his snaps. He drew a flag, found the ball, made stops, held his ground, split double teams, and was just causing pure chaos in the backfield. If you just covered the name on his jersey, you’d swear he was one of their high draft picks from last year. Morris has already seen how wild the 49ers’ injury luck can be, losing multiple starters and depth guys even before the season kicked off, and it just kept going. Valdez wasn’t even supposed to see the field, but with Alfred Collins, CJ West, and James Thompson Jr. all sidelined, the door swung wide open, and he barged right through it.
Defense Is Holding The Line, And The O-Line Is Silent But Deadly
Even without the big names their pass rush usually revolves around, this 49ers defense is no joke. They’re 10th in passing success rate defensively, which is just wild given the amount of talent they’ve lost. They’re stingy in the passing game and are forcing teams to settle for field goals more often than not, proven by their 6th-best red zone scoring percentage. But it’s not just the defense. The offensive line, knock on wood, has stayed healthy, and they’re crushing it, even if they don’t get the headlines. Sacks might often get pinned on the quarterback, but Brock Purdy has been pressured on only 33.3% of his dropbacks, which is the fourth-lowest in the entire NFL. And Christian McCaffrey? He’s averaging 1.72 yards before contact, fifth-best in the league. This unit is a legit strength of the team, and they deserve way more credit than they’re getting. Plus, let’s not forget the advantage of three home games in the first month, a solid schedule, and having Deebo Samuel back on the field, all playing into their 4-0 start.
These 49ers have stared down different kinds of adversity already this season, on and off the field. Now, they’re 4-0 and heading into a rivalry game. Can they keep this perfect start going, especially with guys like Valdez making huge, unexpected impacts? You just know that rivalry game is going to be a must-watch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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