While the 49ers’ offensive struggles have garnered the spotlight, their defense is quietly overcoming some adversity to put together a really nice season. Two numbers in particular jump out as important figures for them when it comes to sustaining a unit capable of making the postseason.
While San Francisco’s defense is No. 7 in yards allowed, No. 15 in points and No. 12 in defensive DVOA (Football Outsiders’ defensive efficiency metric), they sit near the top of the NFL in third-down conversion rate and fourth-down conversion rate. They’ve done an excellent job getting off the field on those key downs.
The 49ers going into Week 7 are No. 4 in third-down conversion rate and No. 2 on fourth downs. Those would normally be the kind of numbers that spearhead one of the NFL’s best teams, but their offensive struggles have put too much of the onus on the defense to play at a high level for too many possessions.
If San Francisco’s offense can get out of the rut its been in since Week 2, they’ll provide enough support to make the defense’s third and fourth-down dominance a key part of their bounce back into the thick of the playoff picture.
