Defense has been the prevailing theme of the NFL’s opening three weeks of play. Unblemished early records for teams like the Eagles, Ravens, and Vikings have been fueled largely by top-five performances from the defensive side of the ball, while efforts to slow down the opposition for 0-for teams like the Bears, Browns, and Saints have been futile.
Defense was supposed to be the strength of this 49ers team in 2016. Not in a one-of-the-best-defenses-in-football sense, but in a clear-bright-spot-on-a-rebuilding-team sense. With minimal roster turnover from a 5-11 squad that was actually worse than its record would suggest in many ways, San Francisco’s plan (There is a plan, right?