Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Top 10 defensive pairings of all time

By Peter Panacy

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: #89 Marcedes Lewis of the Jacksonville Jaguars is tackled by #52 Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL International Series game between San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 27, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: #89 Marcedes Lewis of the Jacksonville Jaguars is tackled by #52 Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL International Series game between San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 27, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images) /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – DECEMBER 19: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers fumbles the ball after being sacked by Aldon Smith #99 and Justin Smith #94 of the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on December 19, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Smith recovered the fumble for the 49ers. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – DECEMBER 19: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers fumbles the ball after being sacked by Aldon Smith #99 and Justin Smith #94 of the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on December 19, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Smith recovered the fumble for the 49ers. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers have been blessed with some standout defensive players in their storied past. When paired with others, though, these top 10 duos were the best in franchise history.

While the San Francisco 49ers have primarily been known for their offensive prowess over the years, the team has been blessed with some pretty awesome defenses, too.

In 1960, the Niners boasted the No. 2 defense in the pre-modern era NFL. 1976 and 1977 both saw back-to-back top-five defenses, while the 1984 defense might have been one of the overall best in league history.

Heck, the 1984 49ers could be considered the greatest team of all time anywhere.

Actually, San Francisco boasted top-10 defenses each year but one (1982) during the 1980s, and those 1990s defenses were pretty good, too. Recent fans may recall some of the 49ers’ top-tier defenses under former head coach Jim Harbaugh during the earlier part of the 2010s as well.

Good defenses are comprised of good players, of course. And San Francisco has no shortage of top defensive standouts over the years.

Hall of Famers, too. And there are likely going to be more in coming seasons, especially with some candidates from those Harbaugh days working their way towards Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility.

But if the sum of parts is ultimately greater than the individual, it means the Niners have been graced with some awfully good defensive tandems over the years as well.

Rather than just focus on top 49ers defenders of all time, Niner Noise goes back through the archives and explores the best defensive pairings in franchise history.

Thankfully, there are quite a few from which to pick.