3 simple goals for Robert Saleh, 49ers defense in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers Must Finish in the Top 10 in Fewest Points Allowed
In contrast to the 27-plus points allowed the Niners surrendered back in 2018, seeing this group drop that number down to 19.4 points allowed per game was quite the turnaround.
If the adage “defense wins championships” rings true, it’s possible to see why this is so important. Just take a look at the 10 best scoring defenses from last season:
| Tot | Tot | Tot | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Tm | G | PF ▲ |
Yds | Ply | Y/P | TO |
| 1 | New England Patriots | 16 | 225 | 4414 | 948 | 4.7 | 36 |
| 2 | Buffalo Bills | 16 | 259 | 4772 | 985 | 4.8 | 23 |
| 3 | Baltimore Ravens | 16 | 282 | 4809 | 921 | 5.2 | 25 |
| 4 | Chicago Bears | 16 | 298 | 5186 | 1017 | 5.1 | 19 |
| 5 | Minnesota Vikings | 16 | 303 | 5465 | 1053 | 5.2 | 31 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | 303 | 4866 | 1030 | 4.7 | 38 |
| 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 308 | 5594 | 1043 | 5.4 | 23 |
| 8 | San Francisco 49ers | 16 | 310 | 4509 | 968 | 4.7 | 27 |
| 9 | Green Bay Packers | 16 | 313 | 5642 | 998 | 5.7 | 25 |
| 10 | Denver Broncos | 16 | 316 | 5392 | 1003 | 5.4 | 17 |
| Avg Team | 365.0 | 5565.8 | 1016.1 | 5.5 | 22.2 | ||
| Avg Tm/G | 22.8 | 347.9 | 63.5 | 5.5 | 1.4 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/30/2020.
Out of those 10 teams, only the Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos failed to make the playoffs, and they were marred by paltry offenses.
So, defenses can’t necessarily do it alone. But with a good defense, the chances of reaching the postseason increase exponentially.
In the 49ers’ case, they’ll need to guard against being the target of every other team in the NFC entering 2020. It’ll no longer be the case where the Niners are the up-and-coming sleeper team turning things around from a four-win season the year prior. And in many cases, division rivals like the Arizona Cardinals are building their own rosters to contend with San Francisco.
Maintaining that defensive fortitude doesn’t have to be at the elite-kind of level one would expect from a No. 1-ranked defense. The Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs proved that.
But getting within the top 10 on this side of the ball should be a primary goal to ensure the 49ers wind up again with another high seed in the postseason picture.