How Nick Sorensen silenced critics in 49ers' victory over Seahawks

Nick Sorensen's side of the ball did more than enough to frustrate and contain a very potent Seahawks offense on Thursday night.

If the San Francisco 49ers needed a scapegoat over the first quarter-plus of 2024, a likely candidate would be first-year defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, who took no shortage of heat for his team's frustrating 2-3 start.

Yes, the Niners were fully aware of growing pains, not unlike those of previous first-time coordinators, Robert Saleh and Demeco Ryans, who eventually became excellent in their roles with San Francisco.

Still, given the talent at Sorensen's disposal, one would figure there wouldn't be the kind of late-game collapses and gaffes that have plagued the 49ers thus far.

Fortunately, it appears as if Sorensen's defense finally started to get it right in Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks, his one-time employer, on Thursday Night Football.

Sure, fans may still critique Sorensen in light of the 14 unanswered points the Hawks scored in the second half, ones that put the final outcome very much in doubt. But seven of those stemmed from a kickoff return, shifting momentum entirely in Seattle's favor. If anything, the Niners offense failed to respond on the following drive, putting Sorensen's defense back under the spotlight on another touchdown-allowing stand.

That said, one has to look at the full body of work in the wake of the 49ers victory.

Nick Sorensen's defense got the job done in Week 6

The 24 points allowed is less than the 25 point-per-game average San Francisco was allowing in Weeks 1 through 4, and remember the seven that came from another special teams gaffe.

Sure, allowing a 2-of-3 mark on third down and another 2-of-3 mark in the red zone isn't great. But, when considering the Seahawks averaged a mere 4.9 yards per play (a 10th of a point higher than what the undefeated Minnesota Vikings are allowing this season), one has to figure Sorensen made the Seahawks earn every single point.

On top of all that, the 49ers were without key defenders, such as cornerback Charvarius Ward (knee) and safety Talanoa Hufanga (wrist), forcing rookie defensive backs Renardo Green and Malik Mustapha into critical roles.

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Both first-year pros intercepted Hawks quarterback Geno Smith in the game. And the embattled run defense held Seattle to a mere 2.6 yards per carry on 20 rushing attempts, too.

"I think Nick's doing a real good job," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters ahead of Thursday night's game. "I've been impressed with him since the beginning. Each week, I like how he handles the defensive staff, I like how they set up the practices, and I've liked his game plans, and I liked how he's called it. So, I've been real happy with Nick so far."

Based on the end result, Sorensen appears to be developing in the right manner.

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