SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The fact that the Dallas Cowboys entered their Sunday night showdown touted as the NFL’s No. 1 defense didn’t sit well with San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
“They said a lot of stuff,” Lenoir said after the 49ers whipped Dallas, 42-10. “The one that broke me down was that they’re the No. 1 defense. That’s crazy. We just had to do a little realignment. A realignment on the rankings. That (game) was looking like that Legion of Boom Super Bowl against the Broncos, 40-8. It’s looking scary.”
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By most metrics, the 49ers finished last season as the league’s No. 1 defense. But the start of this season has seen some growing pains under new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. They’ve been minor, in the large scheme of things, but the 49ers’ defense obsesses over such imperfections. The unit ranked No. 7 in defensive DVOA entering Week 5 and it seems that the unit is dead set on erasing such slips.
According to star linebacker Fred Warner, Wilks had a simple message early in the week: “You guys don’t know how good you can truly be.”
Warner responded by leading the charge in an effort that might’ve at least offered a glimpse of the 49ers’ ceiling.
Can't run from @fred_warner 😤
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— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 9, 2023
The defense intercepted three passes and sacked Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott four times. Warner delivered one of those picks off a Lenoir deflection and one of those sacks — and he also forced an early Dallas fumble as one of his team-leading eight tackles. The defense held the Cowboys to a paltry 4.0 yards per play and essentially blinked only once — when Dallas snuck 153-pound receiver KaVontae Turpin out of the slot for a 26-yard touchdown on a corner route from Prescott.
Outside of that, the 49ers smothered the Cowboys and finally delivered the deluge of takeaways that they’d been waiting for.
“You have to capitalize on that momentum and feed off of it,” said 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson Sr., who notched one of the three interceptions on a Prescott deep attempt. “Once that happens, it’s a feast out there for us. We’d kind of been in a drought. So we wanted to make sure we did our job defensively. That’s what great defenses do: you have to take the ball away.”
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The 49ers are now tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFL lead in turnover differential at plus-7. Their eight interceptions on the season also rank No. 1. The team led the league in both categories — turnover differential and interceptions — last season, so climbing back atop those rankings was symbolically and functionally important.
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It began from the first snap. Wilks, knowing that Prescott was averaging the fastest release time of his career in Dallas’ new “Texas Coast” offense, dialed up aggressively tight coverage from his secondary.
“Our coach believed in us to actually play man, so we took it upon ourselves to really lock into the little details and dominate,” Lenoir said.
Dallas went three-and-out twice to open the game. Warner forced a fumble from running back Tony Pollard on the first play of the third drive with a Peanut punch. The ball bounced off Lenoir’s leg to stay in bounds long enough for defensive tackle Kevin Givens to dive on it right before it rolled out. The 49ers happen to drill that exact recovery scenario in practice with defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks, who rolls the ball along the sideline while players take turns diving on top of it.
Thank you kindly 🙌
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— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 9, 2023
“Somebody’s got to get it before it goes out of bounds,” Givens said. “After that recovery, they’re definitely going to send out a teach tape. We definitely practice it and that goes out to the coaches for getting us ready for a game.”
The takeaway floodgates opened in the second half. Prescott threw picks on three straight possessions — one to Warner, one to Gipson and one to linebacker Oren Burks.
“I like the way Gip tracked that ball,” linebacker Dre Greenlaw said. “(Burks) had a nice one. Because he was the curl defender. Just vision on the quarterback. I think that was a great instinctive play by him.”
It was the 33-year-old Gipson’s 33rd career interception. He credited fellow safety Talanoa Hufanga for the effective blitz that upset Prescott’s timing on the play, but he quickly pivoted attention to Warner — with whom he’d had a conversation on Friday in the 49ers’ locker room.
Gip gets the pick! ⛏
📺 #DALvsSF on NBC
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— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 9, 2023
“I told Fred this week, ‘I think people know you’re the best linebacker, but I think you need to be considered one of the best defensive players in the game.’ I told him, ‘You’re the most under-appreciated superstar I’ve known,'” Gipson said. “Because I think he should be in those conversations with the (Micah) Parsons and the (Nick) Bosas, but Fred Warner, he’s beyond just the best linebacker in the league. He’s one of the best players in the National Football League.
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“He’s so valuable to what we do. It’s just a blessing to be able to play with a guy like that. I have no idea why Fred is not considered a top-five defensive player in the league. He’s different. He can cover like a safety, hit like a linebacker and rush like a D-end. He has no flaws to his game. He’s a different breed. He was built in a laboratory, for sure.”
Gipson’s effusive praise then moved to Greenlaw, who delivered a couple of thunderous stops among his five tackles on the evening.
“Dre is a tone-setter,” Gipson said. “Dre’s like Mike Tyson. Prime-time Mike Tyson. He’s just vicious, man. Having a guy like that, there’s not too many people that want to come across the middle. You watch the tape, you see 57, you have to think twice. Dre is a top-five linebacker in this National Football League. We’ve got both of them.”
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Perhaps the 49ers are particularly effusive in praise of their linebackers because they provide the adaptable bridge between pass rush and pass coverage in the middle of the operation. For years, a debate has raged about which component of the defense has been a bigger driver of its success. In the 2019 run to the Super Bowl, the pass rush clearly led the charge. But the 49ers have had to tighten screws in coverage as opposing offenses have adapted to their pressure with quick-release strategies, and Sunday’s dominant showing showcased a triumph on both ends.
“The back end did their thing tonight,” said Bosa, who shared an early sack with Arik Armstead. “They stepped it up even more. When they do that, we’re as good of a defense as there is.”
Said Lenoir: “We say the rush complements the coverage and the coverage complements the rush, but today, we were all clicking. When you see a defense like that, with all these special players, it looks scary.”
Defensive masterclass ✍️
📺 #DALvsSF on NBC
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— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 9, 2023
The 49ers vow that they aren’t done yet. Several players in the locker room emphasized the importance of not only sustaining Sunday’s success, but finding ways to build on it.
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One such way appears to be coming this week, when veteran pass rusher Randy Gregory will join the team following a trade from the Denver Broncos.
“He’s an $80 million defensive end who we got for a bargain,” Bosa said. “So it could get even better for us.”
The 49ers are striding into that future as buoyant and confident as ever after their dismantling of Dallas.
“Baddest guys on the planet,” Gipson said of his teammates. “I knew it, but I tried to be humble about it. But after today, let’s just be honest. The type of guys that we have in this locker room, hard workers. As much talent as we got, y’all should see, man. The way that we practice, the way that we work. You’d be amazed that we have so many stars willing to put their head down and work.”
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(Photo of 49ers defense celebrating Tashaun Gipson Sr.’s interception: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
“The Football 100,” the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, goes on sale this fall. Preorder it here.
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