If this 2019 unit remains at that level the remainder of the season, there surely will be a place for it on this list of the most dominant defenses the 49ers have fielded.
1 1990: The greatest four-year run of defensive dominance in franchise history culminated with this unit finishing third in the NFL in total defense and second in rushing defense with Charles Haley winning NFC Defensive Player of the Year honors after a 16-sack performance. This would also be the swan song for Ronnie Lott in a 49ers uniform with the future Hall of Famer earning All-Pro first-team honors for the seventh time in 10 seasons.
2 1981: It was defense that got the San Francisco dynasty rolling in this magical Super Bowl season, as the arrival of Jack Reynolds at linebacker and rookies Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson in the secondary helped transform a unit that finished second in the NFL in total defense (the 49ers ranked 13th in total offense) and third in passing defense. Defensive end Fred Dean and safety Dwight Hicks joined Ronnie Lott on All-Pro teams and Dean earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.
3 1989: As an encore after winning Super Bowl XXIII the season before, perhaps San Francisco’s best team ever also had one of the franchise’s best defenses. Ronnie Lott was the headliner, but a unit that finished fourth in the NFL in total defense had standouts throughout the lineup and a stellar front seven that rotated 11 quality performers.
This story is from the December 2019 edition of Niner Report.
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This story is from the December 2019 edition of Niner Report.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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In the weeks that follow after you read this — and perhaps sometime even sooner than that — Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers organization will make a titanic decision that will have present, future and perhaps even everlasting implications for the franchise. It will chart the course for the team’s pivotal 2021 season while determining whether San Francisco really does have the juice to return to powerhouse status and again be considered a legitimate contender to get back to the Super Bowl.
TOP 10 Linebacker seasons
Fred Warner vaulted to stardom with a spectacular 2020 season — and the 49ers rewarded him this summer with a $95.225 million deal that makes him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. By today’s standards, Warner’s performance last year was worth the money as he posted an Approximate Value of 19 — matching the highest score ever recorded by a San Francisco defender according to a Pro Football Reference formula that puts a single number on each player-season across all positions since 1960. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (twice) also had seasons with an AV of 19 as they dominate this list of the greatest individual seasons by a linebacker in 49ers history.
