The San Francisco 49ers have a clear Achilles heel right now, and it is their defense. While the offense is doing its job, a short-handed defensive unit has struggled to stop opponents as evidenced by last week’s shootout against the Chicago Bears.
It seems like the defense may be setting Niners fans up for yet another heartbreak, and legendary former 49ers safety Donte Whitner, often dubbed Donte “Hitner” for the big hits he’d lay on opponents, did not hold back when talking about San Francisco’s poor defensive showing.
Whitner took aim at all aspects of the defense, starting with a defensive line that could not get any pressure on the quarterback to a lack of run pursuit from the defensive backs and a lack of communication between the secondary.
Whitner’s ultimate summation of the effort is fairly damning: “That’s the type of defensive performance that will get you sent home early in the playoffs.”
Donte Whitner on the 49ers defensive performance against the Bears:
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) January 1, 2026
“I’m very disappointed in this defense. Starting with the front 4 and the lack of pass rush. The displacement of run gaps from the second and third level. The defensive backs and their run pursuit… Most… pic.twitter.com/MvORcAB2Rn
He has a good point.
This 49ers team feels an awful lot like the 2024 Detroit Lions who were also an offensive juggernaut but simply could not overcome key injuries on defense, which is why they were surprisingly bounced from the playoffs early by the Washington Commanders.
Whitner knows what it takes to be a playoff-caliber defense as he was right in the thick of that three-season run of glory under head coach Jim Harbaugh when San Francisco lost in the NFC Championship twice and lost in the Super Bowl to the Baltimore Ravens.
We’ll see if Whitner’s prediction proves to be right, but it would certainly help matters if the 49ers are able to win on Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks. A win would secure the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye for a team that has had to overcome so many injuries and so much adversity this season.
Maybe defensive coordinator Robert Saleh can try to pull a few tricks out of his hat to thwart Seattle as that may be the only way the 49ers can do anything on defense to impact the game. But even Saleh has his limitations given the personnel he currently has at his disposal.
Just one big play, whether it be an interception or a fumble or a big sack, could make all the difference, so maybe safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha can channel their inner Whitner and come up with a big play against Seattle to give the defense some confidence and momentum heading into the playoffs.