Defense imposes will to keep New Orleans out of the end zone
They came into the game with a No. 1 ranking and an impressive streak of secondhalf shutouts — and a shared and steadfast belief that they could level up. Then the proud players on the San Francisco 49ers’ defense found themselves locked in a tense struggle against the New Orleans Saints and managed to exceed even their own lofty expectations.
Something profound and mystical happened Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, and it wasn’t just the lockdown performance that carried the 49ers to a 13-0 victory. As the Saints closed in on the south end zone for the first of two consecutive 1st-and-goal opportunities in the fourth quarter, the Niners’ huddle turned eerie and emotional, an 11man semicircle of symbiotic resolve.
“You had to be there to feel it,” veteran safety Tashaun Gipson recalled in the aftermath of the 49ers’ fourth consecutive victory. “It was surreal. You could just feel the energy come alive, just by the look in every
body’s eyes. Everybody in that huddle was sniffing it, thinking — knowing — ‘We’re gonna bow up and make a play.’
“There was no doubt in our mind: They are not getting in that end zone.”
It’s one thing, of course, to project the power of positive thought. It’s quite another to manifest it the way Gipson and his teammates did while backed up to the goal line on Sunday, ensuring that San Francisco (7-4) would be alone in first place in the NFC West, a game ahead of the Seattle Seahawks.
Since getting crushed by the Kansas City Chiefs in a 44-23 defeat at Levi’s on Oct. 23, the 49ers — for all the hype about the Christian McCaffrey trade, the Jimmy Garoppolo revival and the highlight-reel plays by their high-profile skill players — have been a defense-driven team.
Second-year coordinator DeMeco Ryans’ unit has not surrendered a second-half point since that game against the Chiefs, a major reason San Francisco has won all four of its games during that span.
On Sunday, the Niners shut out the Saints (4-8) in the first and second halves, an achievement that had star linebacker Fred Warner almost choked up when he and I spoke at his locker shortly after the game.
“That was probably as special a performance, and win, as I’ve been a part of — because of how hard it was,” said Warner, who is in his fifth season.
A few minutes later, I circled back with Warner. He shook his head, took a deep breath and spoke almost in a whisper: “That s— was special. For real. Incredible. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around right now.”
It was less difficult for Warner to wrap his arms around Saints running back Alvin Kamara on the game’s fourth play from scrimmage and force a fumble that was recovered by teammate Samson Ebukam at the New Orleans 43, setting up a drive that ended with Robbie Gould’s 24-yard field goal. Kamara had dodged a perfectly timed run blitz by second-year safety Talanoa Hufanga, who has a knack for such things, before Warner came in and regulated.
The 49ers pushed their lead to 10-0 on Jimmy Garoppolo’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings 13 seconds before halftime, then began the third quarter with a nine-play drive that led to Gould’s 46field goal. That was it for an offense which was coming off a rip-roaring effort in last Monday’s next 38-10 thrashing of the Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City, but it didn’t matter.
You can’t win if you can’t score — and the Saints, largely because of their locked-in opponents on the other side of the line of scrimmage, were not going to score.
New Orleans had the ball three times in the second half, on possessions that lasted 12, 12 and nine plays, respectively. It translated into a big, fat null set.
First, after a false start on right tackle Ryan Ramczyk derailed a 4th-and-5 play from the San Francisco 25, Wil Lutz was wide left on a 48-yard field goal attempt.
Then, after forcing a threeand-out, the Saints drove to the 49ers’ 6-yard line early in the fourth quarter. On 2ndand-goal, quarterback Andy Dalton threw a short pass in the right flat to Kamara, a five-time Pro Bowl selection with exceptional strength and balance. Kamara caught the ball at the 4 and was met by Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who tried to wrap him up as the running back spun back toward the goal line. Kamara bulled his way toward the end zone, with Greenlaw doggedly clinging to him from behind.
“Nah, he wasn’t getting in that end zone,” Greenlaw said afterward. “No way. No way. He had kind of pulled away, and I was gonna attach my body back to him, and then — man, what a perfect hit.”
From out of the end zone shot Hufanga, already one of the NFL’s top playmaking safeties, and the force of the subsequent collision popped the football out of Kamara’s hands and into the air.
“I didn’t even know I got it out,” Hufanga said. “I just thought he was gonna score, and I was gonna do everything I could to keep him out of the end zone.”
The drama wasn’t done: Veteran safety Jimmie Ward tipped the ball as it floated above the goal line, with Saints tight end Juwan Johnson in position to snatch it for a slop touchdown. However, defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway hit Johnson as he tried to make the play, and the ball bounced back to the 1-yard line, where Greenlaw recovered under a pile.
The Niners defenders celebrated, but they didn’t have the luxury of resting on their laurels — or resting, period. Following another three-andout, the Saints marched again, this time earning a 1st-and-goal at the 4.
Three Dalton incompletions followed — cornerback Charvarius “Mooney” Ward and Gipson had pass breakups sandwiched around a hurried throwaway provoked by defensive end Nick Bosa’s strong rush.
Finally, on 4th-and-4, Bosa sacked Dalton to end the threat, upping his season total to 11.5. The clock read 6:18; the Saints never got the ball back.
After the final Garoppolo kneeldown, the Niners had officially secured their first shutout since Week 7 of the 2019 season (a 9-0 victory over Washington). The Saints, meanwhile, were held scoreless for the first time since the final game of the 2001 campaign — a 38-0 defeat to a 49ers team coached by Steve Mariucci, with Jim Mora Jr. as the defensive coordinator.
Mora eventually became the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons; Ryans, by all rights, will be a hot name in the upcoming NFL coaching cycle. After all, the 49ers currently lead the NFL in scoring defense (15.7 points per game) and total defensive (281.7 yards per game) by significant margins.
Ryans’ players speak glowingly of his leadership abilities, upbeat demeanor and strategic acumen.
On Sunday, for example, Ryans smartly mixed up his back-end coverages while successfully snuffing out the Saints’ read-option package featuring nominal tight end/ moonlighting quarterback Taysom Hill (six carries, 13 yards; one reception, seven yards; 0-for-1 passing). In essence, Ryans had his defenders protect against the quarterback draw and the quarterback power when Hill was in the game and dared him to beat them throwing from the pocket.
He didn’t. “DeMeco’s a great coach,” Warner said. “Most likely, we’re not going to have him after this year, because somebody’s going to snap him up.”
Said Gipson, smiling, “We can’t hide him much longer. It’s a pleasure playing for a guy like that. I hope he gets everything that comes his way.”
For now, Warner, Gipson and their fellow defenders are repelling virtually everything that comes their way, which explains why they’re at the top of the charts — and why the Niners are rising up the ranks of NFC playoff contenders.
It was obvious on Sunday, as it has been for so much of this season, that if the 49ers make a legitimate Super Bowl run, the defense will have to carry them.
“The No. 1 defense is cool,” Warner said. “But that’s not what it’s about. We want to be No. 1 at the very end—the No. 1 team.”
To do that, the Niners will have to bring that same energy that they discovered in their eerie and emotional huddle during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game — and then some. It gets no easier, beginning with next Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins and their explosive offense, followed by Tom Brady’s return to the Bay Area a week later.
“We had a great day, but this wasn’t all, because there’s so much we can clean up,” Ebukam insisted. There’s definitely another level.”
If this defense levels up again, watch out.