For the 49ers, the victory over the Cardinals on Sunday means it has now been six straight wins and, more than that, it has been six straight blowout wins, over patsies and playoff teams alike.
During the current streak, the 49ers wins have come by an average of 18.8 points. Yet, there is one nagging issue that both coach Kyle Shanahan and star linebacker Fred Warner say needs addressing.
That would be the defense’s propensity to miss tackles.
Entering Week 15, the 49ers’ defense led the NFL in rushing yardage allowed, at 1,018. They had yielded only three 100-yard rushing days all season, and none during the win streak. Until Sunday, at least, when Arizona racked up 234 yards rushing, with four different ballcarriers posting 25 yards or more.
Warner said that will need to stop going forward.
“Missed tackles. Missed tackles,” he said after the game in his press conference. “I look at myself, I am always going to point the finger at myself first and foremost, I gotta be the standard for everybody else. And then if we do miss a tackle, we gotta make sure guys are getting to the football to get him down. Too many explosive runs. That’s honestly what sticks out the most.”
Fred Warner Missed a Tackle on a Long TD Run
A good example came in the third quarter on a 44-yard run by Cardinals running back James Conner, his longest of the game. Conner had a good hole to work with but after he gained five yards, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw had a hand on him and a chance to bring him down. But Conner broke free and rambled another 39 yards.
Another example came in the fourth quarter, with the 49ers already up, 35-16 and the defense, perhaps, playing with its guard down. Running back Emari Demercado took a handoff, was engulfed by three 49rs defenders—including Fred Warner, who had Demercado in his grasp—and still managed to squirt free for a 49-yard touchdown run.
Again, it has not been a season-long problem for the 49ers. But during the 49ers’ three-game losing streak that began in Week 6, tackling and run defense were issues. They allowed 368 yards rushing in those three games.
Kyle Shanahan: 49ers Must ‘Clean That Stuff Up’
To be sure, Shanahan was not complaining about the runs the 49ers gave up to Arizona on Sunday, not when the 49ers clinched their second straight NFC West crown with the win. It is something, though, that he wants the team to address.
“Looking at it live, I thought we missed way too many tackles today,” Shanahan said. “Which, give them credit, they got a bunch of guys that are hard to tackle, obviously their quarterback is as tough as it gets. But their skill players, they all can run, they’re fast. Their back—they got a bunch of guys who create that stuff but it was disappointing on the missed tackles. When you add in the running element of the quarterback, that gets them, too.
“But we definitely did not play the run good enough today which I think was pretty obvious. But we came here with one thing on our mind and that was to get a win. That’s what we got done. But now we gotta make sure we clean that stuff up.”
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49ers’ Fred Warner Sends Stern Warning to Defense on Persistent Problem