49ers vs Cardinals: Full Week 4 preview for San Francisco

Week 4 by the numbers

With nearly a quarter of the season gone, the statistics will still fluctuate slighty, but there’s now enough volume to glean useful information. That being said, the 49ers 18th overall defensive ranking makes sense considering the uneven nature of their play.

While they did give up 23 points to the Carolina Panthers, that was more due to the offense stinking it up.  The defense rebounded with a stellar performance against the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 2, but again the offense came up short.

That was followed up with an abysmal showing in which they were drubbed by the Rams all the way to 41 points. The scoring defense ranks toward the bottom of the league at 26th (25.3 ppg), and they have given up the 25th most points with 76 scored on them.

The most disappointing stat of them all? The 49ers have only three sacks, good for 31st in the league. Besides DeForest Buckner and Tank Carradine, the defensive line has failed to get quarterback pressure. With Carradine out, the rest of the line is going to have to step up.

On the offensive side of the ball, Hyde has been actually quite good this season. Very good in fact — Hyde’s 3rd in the league for rushing yards (253) and 6th in average rush yards (5.2).

What should be noted is that barring Kareem Hunt, all the running backs ahead of Hyde in average rush yards have at least 14 less carries, meaning Hyde’s numbers aren’t inflated by big runs on less rushes. Hyde is doing it efficiently.

If three games are any indication, Hyde is going to be a workhorse the rest of this season. Hyde and wide receiver Pierre Garçon, who had an exceptional Week 3 showing with seven receptions for 142 yards, are just about the only real threats this offense has.