Niner Noise
FanSided

5 biggest problems facing the 49ers in 2019 so far

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 13: Pressure by defensive tackle Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams forces an incomplete pass by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers in the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 13: Pressure by defensive tackle Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams forces an incomplete pass by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers in the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 15: Joe Mixon #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs the ball as Kwon Alexander #56 of the San Francisco 49ers misses the tackle during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 15: Joe Mixon #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs the ball as Kwon Alexander #56 of the San Francisco 49ers misses the tackle during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Tackling

It seems a bit strange criticizing any aspect of the 49ers defense. After all, it’s the No. 2 ranked defense in the league, both in terms of points and yards allowed per game.

But if San Francisco wanted to be even more effective on the defensive side of the ball, it could be a bit more efficient in tackling.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Niners No. 14 in the NFL in tackling, with a 58.5 team tackling grade here. San Francisco has 20 missed tackles on the year, per PFF, and EDGE Nick Bosa actually leads the 49ers defense in this category with four.

Granted, no one is complaining about Bosa’s efforts, and those will likely improve with time.

In contrast, PFF’s best tackling team is the Minnesota Vikings, who have an 84.8 grade. As a team, Minnesota has missed just 12 tackles on the year while having played one more game than San Francisco.

None of this is to question the Niners defense, of course. It’s been superb. But to get even better, shoring up tackling would do a lot of good.