Earler this season, back when the San Francisco 49ers were both trying to overcome a slew of serious injuries while also getting their offense into some sort of rhythm, it wasn't hard to pin a good deal of blame on the offensive line.
Specifically the interior, where a revolving door at left guard was only part of the issue alongside embattled center Jake Brendel and a seemingly regressing right guard Dominick Puni.
During the Niners' six-game win streak, however, the O-line has quietly gone from the offense's top liability into arguably one of head coach Kyle Shanahan's biggest strengths, and this unit is no longer viewed in the same critical light as it once was in the opening few weeks of the regular season.
In fact, one could argue the upfront blockers have been the catalyst for San Francisco's offensive resurgence, aiding a group that's scored an average of 42.3 points over its last three games.
49ers offensive line has quiety turned into a massive strength at the right time
One might argue the turnaround happened back when Puni, who suffered an ankle injury during the preseason, finally got healthy around Week 7. In turn, the 49ers' unusually stagnant rushing attack with Christian McCaffrey began to gain some traction.
Additionally, the analytics began to reveal a pleasant truth about the O-line, specifically Pro Football Focus bumping the Niners up to No. 3 in O-line rankings heading into Week 17's showdown against the Chicago Bears:
"San Francisco’s offensive line was excellent in pass protection in the win over the Colts. The unit did not allow a single sack or quarterback hit and surrendered just five quarterback hurries on 36 dropbacks, leading to a 93.1 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating, which ranked second in the league this week.
Right tackle Colton McKivitz is quietly having an excellent season. The West Virginia product earned an 85.7 PFF overall grade against the Colts. For the season, he owns a 90.3 PFF run-blocking grade, which ranks fourth among all offensive tackles."
Kudos to McKivitz getting some credit after usually being a scapegoat for several blocking issues earlier in his career.
Sure, All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams' hamstring injury suffered during the Bears game looms large, and the hope is it's not a long-term setback. Yet San Francisco revealed its depth here by deploying swing tackle Austen Pleasants in Williams' stead, and that worked out well versus Chicago.
As Niners Nation's Kyle Posey pointed out after Week 17, the 49ers O-line is "peaking at the right time."
Getting Williams back is vital for the Niners' pending playoff push, yes. But the bigger takeaway is the fact a one-time liability is no longer such.
If anything, San Francisco's O-line is a major component of the entire offense playing hot down the stretc