Getty The 49ers celebrate a Brandon Aiyuk touchdown on November 21, 2022 in Mexico City.
The record says 6-4 overall, but hordes of fans and media have taken notice of the current state of the San Francisco 49ers.
They’ve noticed how the team is riding a three-game winning streak, how the 49ers won five of their last seven contests, and how dominant they looked in Mexico City on Monday, November 21 in the 38-10 trouncing of the Arizona Cardinals.
But has this team really turned the corner?
Heavy Sports NFL insider Matt Lombardo chipped away at that question in an exclusive interview with sixth-year offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill.
Daniel Brunskill Details ‘What’s Clicking’ for 49ers
Brunskill, a versatile 6-foot-5, 300-pounder for the 49ers — who has a background at guard but is currently manning right tackle — dove into how the 49ers are starting to click during a November 22 appearance on Heavy Sports’ The Matt Lombardo Show.
Brunskill revealed two elements that have factored into the 49ers’ hot streak.
“I think what’s clicking for us right now is just the consistency. And we’ve got some young players that are playing very well right now,” Brunskill told Lombardo.
Brunskill has notably played with two fast-rising young talents in the offensive trenches. Rookie guard Spencer Burford and second-year left guard Aaron Banks have yet to surrender a sack this season on 255 and 344 pass blocking attempts, respectively, per Pro Football Focus.
The trenches are playing at a high level with Brunskill helping anchor the line and All-Pro Trent Williams continuing to play at a Pro Bowl level (hasn’t surrendered a sack this season either). Arizona didn’t produce a single sack against the 49ers in the 28-point romp — making it the third time this season the 49ers prevented Jimmy Garoppolo from getting planted to the turf with the ball in tow.
Brunskill himself hasn’t surrendered a sack this season — and that’s on 128 plays where he had to shuffle his feet and violently extend his hands to rattle an oncoming rusher.
The Key for the 49ers to Sustain Success
The 49ers are playing at a higher level and are garnering more 2023 Super Bowl hype. Their win also gave them an identical record to the NFC West division-leading Seattle Seahawks (though the 49ers currently own the tiebreaker over the Seahawks by virtue of their 27-7 Week 2 win).
Brunskill, though, revealed what he believes will be pivotal moving forward.
“We’ve just got to keep stacking these games together,” Brunskill said. “So I think like you said, a lot of things are clicking on offense and all the guys are working together. We’re building great chemistry with each other and I think that’s the key to keep moving.
“I think our defense has always done well. It’s just that the offense is trying to match that,” Brunskill continued. “There’s been games where the offense has been able to be there for the defense. But our defense has always been amazing. And so right now, it’s just kind of the offense is, we have the pieces we have and all these great players that if we get the ball to them in space, we make plays. And right now, it’s just making sure that we can consistently keep our tempo as we’re going and not let a defense shut us down. I think if we can keep stacking on top of that, I think we can be an amazing team.”