SANTA CLARA -- When the 49ers went to the Super Bowl in 2012, inside linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman started all 19 games. When the 49ers line up on defense Saturday in Los Angeles, it will be on its fifth different inside linebacker tandem of the season.
If you ask defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil, the instability at that position goes a long way toward explaining why the 49ers have allowed more yards than any other defense this season and more rushing yards than any 49ers team in the franchise's 70-year history.
"We’ve been decimated, obviously, at the inside backer position, which is difficult because (it's) the bridge from the (defensive) line to the secondary and they’re so actively involved in everything that takes place in the run game," he said.