Even in a 42-38 offensive explosion, a prominent writer argues the 49ers' defense ultimately secured their crucial victory.
Defense wins championships, some suggest. And while some usually referto specific moments of greatness within a game to make that point, it usually is not in a 42-38 shootout between high powered offenses.
Vic Tafer of "The Athletic" is making that case about the San Francisco 49ers defense after a 42-38 win brought the Niners within one win of the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. He writes the following of the Niners defense who even in a shootout is continuing to receive acclaim.
"The San Francisco 49ers defense doesn’t mean to do it, but it keeps setting the bar higher for the team’s offense.
Brock Purdy needed his fifth touchdown of the night, a 38-yard pass to Jauan Jennings, to give the 49ers the 42-38 lead with 2:15 left. And, if they’re being honest, everyone at Levi’s Stadium had the same thought:
That’s way too much time. ... Turns out it wasn’t."
Somehow in a night where the 49ers offense lit up a good Chicago Bears defense, the San Francisco defense took the spotlight according to Tafer. Certainly, some would debate that notion. But in a game between two of the NFL's best offensive minds, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan and Chicago head coach Ben Johnson, perhaps we were bound to have a classic shootout.
The days of headlining quarterback clashes with the likes of Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Tom Brady might be over, at least to that degree. But the headline coaching battles seem to be emerging.
The battle of wits went back-and-forth in a way one usually sees a college football game between Top 5 contenders. Trading scores at the level we saw is unheard of at the professional level, much less scoring at the rate that we saw. The game was tied at 7-, 14-, 21-, 28- and 35-point increments, perhaps the most evenly matched game in recent memory.
Leading 42-38, the 49ers needed a stop. And though the San Francisco offense carried the bulk of the burden in the game, the Niners defense stepped up when needed most. Tafer contends that the shorthanded defense left an indelible mark on the game.
As Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams dropped back, he looked into a sea of what might have felt like innumerable San Francisco defenders as the Niners took away every possible open receiver. And though the 49ers offense carried the team, the San Francisco defense stepped up when it needed to the most.
The San Francisco offense deserves all the credit in the world for the win. Chicago's prolific offense left little to no margin for error on the night. Still, when the Niners defense was needed, they stepped up in a big way.
The 49ers will look to complete their improbable run to a No. 1 seed against the Seattle Seahawks.