2026
2026 season · Weeks 1 to 8 · 6-1
49ers defense
Every snap the 49ers defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good-0.05 EPA a play allowed, 8th of 32, and 0.03 below what the offenses they faced usually manage (10th).
- How they playThey blitz on 32% of dropbacks, the 11th-most in the league, and get pressure on 25%.
- Where offenses find roomThrough the air: +0.04 EPA a dropback, 15th, softest behind the line left (+0.15 a throw).
- Who hurt themRyan Miller (MIA): 77 yards and +7.0 EPA on 1 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
- Next upWeek 9 against the Raiders, whose offense ranks 15th in EPA a play.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | -0.05 | 8th of 32 | 77th | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | +0.04 | 15th of 32 | 55th | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.18 | 2nd of 32 | 95th | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 44% | 20th of 32 | 39th | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 4% | 1st of 32 | 98th | |
| Yards per play | 4.8 | 4th of 32 | 89th | |
| Yards per carry | 3.6 | 7th of 32 | 80th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 38% | 11th of 32 | 67th |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 5.6% | 20th of 32 | 39th | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 25% | 5th of 32 | 86th | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 13% | 24th of 32 | 27th | |
| INT rateper dropback | 1.1% | 26th of 32 | 20th | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 48% | 7th of 32 | 80th | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 1.93 | 12th of 32 | 64th | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.1 | 21st of 32 | 38th | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | -0.03 | 10th of 32 | 70th |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the 49ers. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 2 of 7 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 5 against the Seahawks, 0.44 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average -0.03 a play elsewhere, the 26th-toughest schedule of offenses.
at LAW 27-7-0.26usual +0.09
vs MIAW 35-130.00usual -0.05
vs ARIW 36-30+0.17usual -0.05
vs DENW 24-14+0.07usual -0.05
at SEAW 32-29-0.43usual +0.02
vs WASW 23-17-0.01usual -0.01
at ATLL 20-29+0.05usual -0.12Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is behind the line left: +0.15 EPA a throw against a league -0.19. The lockdown zone is intermediate right, -0.21 a throw (league +0.38). Completions against them run 3.1 points over expected, 25th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 3.6 yards a carry against them, 7th of 32. The leak is off left tackle: 4.1 a carry and -0.01 EPA (league 4.6, -0.03).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 17.412th | 131.711th | +0.2617th-toughest | 18.512th-fewest23.911th-fewest29.211th-fewest |
| Tight ends | 7.919th | 43.67th | -0.054th-toughest | 5.88th-fewest8.88th-fewest11.89th-fewest |
| Backs, receiving | 7.931st | 48.632nd | +0.1925th-toughest | 16.114th-fewest19.615th-most23.112th-most |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 15.311th-fewest15.311th-fewest15.311th-fewest |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Miller | MIA | 1 | 77 | 1 | +7.0 |
| Drake London | ATL | 10 | 80 | 1 | +7.0 |
| Michael Wilson | ARI | 17 | 89 | 1 | +5.9 |
| Trey McBride | ARI | 11 | 75 | +5.3 | |
| Pat Bryant | DEN | 3 | 47 | +5.3 | |
| Tyler Badie | DEN | 4 | 39 | +4.8 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Their biggest third-down edge is third-and-7+: offenses convert 17% against a league 27%. They are stingiest in the two-minute drill (-0.22 a play, league 0.00) and weakest in 3rd down (+0.03, league -0.04).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 178 | -0.02 | +0.02 | -0.04 |
| 2nd down | 149 | -0.10 | +0.00 | -0.11 |
| 3rd down | 94 | +0.03 | -0.04 | +0.07 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 26 | 77% | 61% | +16 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 20 | 40% | 44% | −4 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 48 | 17% | 27% | −10 pts |
| Red zone | 68 | -0.11 | +0.03 | -0.14 |
| Two-minute drill | 52 | -0.22 | 0.00 | -0.22 |
| When they lead | 328 | +0.01 | +0.01 | +0.01 |
| One-score game | 242 | -0.12 | -0.01 | -0.12 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 3 | -0.48 | +0.03 | -0.52 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
They send extra rushers on 32% of dropbacks and average 4.3 rushers; 68% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow -0.11 EPA when they blitz and +0.11 when they do not.
They put 6.6 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 4%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 3.8 a carry; into eight or more, 4.8.
Offenses lean on the run against them: 1 points under their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains +0.21 EPA against them on 21% of throws; screens +0.00.
21 defensive penalties for 192 yards, 15 of them first downs, the 16th-fewest. They miss 8% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 15th-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
Keion White leads the pass rush with 12 pressures and 3.5 sacks on 63% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92Osa OdighizuwaDT | 73% | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 13 | |
| 56Keion WhiteDE | 63% | 12 | 3.5 | 5 | 4 | 13 | |
| 94Romello HeightDE | 48% | 4 | 1.5 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 93Gracen HaltonDT | 45% | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 1 |
| 55Sebastian ValdezDT | 32% | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | |
| 47Khalid KareemDE | 30% | 3 | 1 | 11 | |||
| 59Ogbo OkoronkwoDE | 30% | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 98Mykel WilliamsDE | 19% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| 97Nick BosaDE | 18% | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 99C.J. WestDT | 12% | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Fred Warner plays 95% of the snaps with 70 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54Fred WarnerMLB | 95% | 70 | 3 | 0.5 | 4 | 30 | 83.5 | 6 |
| 57Dre GreenlawLB | 60% | 49 | 2 | 24 | 87.3 | 5 | ||
| 53Jaden DuggerLB | 52% | 30 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 94.7 | 5 |
| 49Garret WallowLB | 11% | 7 | 4 | 85.4 | 2 | |||
| 51Luke GiffordLB | 5% | 7 | 1 | 39.6 | ||||
| 41Jalen GrahamLB | 2% | 4 | 1 | 104.2 |
Malik Mustapha is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 66.7 passer rating on 17 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0Renardo GreenCB | 98% | 31 | 18 of 31 | 217 | 2 | 87.7 | 3 | 5 |
| 27Ji'Ayir BrownSAF | 97% | 23 | 15 of 23 | 177 | 86.2 | 2 | ||
| 2Deommodore LenoirCB | 96% | 32 | 23 of 32 | 203 | 2 | 89.7 | 1 | |
| 6Malik MustaphaSAF | 53% | 17 | 5 of 17 | 52 | 1 | 66.7 | 3 | |
| 36Marques SigleSAF | 50% | 7 | 2 of 7 | 17 | 52.1 | |||
| 20Upton StoutCB | 46% | 30 | 22 of 30 | 275 | 2 | 106.6 | 1 | |
| 25Jack JonesCB | 19% | 21 | 12 of 21 | 126 | 2 | 100.8 | 3 | |
| 24Ashtyn DavisSAF | 4% | 4 | 3 of 4 | 38 | 87.5 | |||
| 33Siran NealDB | 0% |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.