49ers overreactions: Is offense now team’s greatest strength? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It is a long season.
At some point, there is bound to be a pothole or two in the road for the 49ers. But after four games, coach Kyle Shanahan’s team has been the NFL’s most consistent outfit.
In a league known for its week-to-week nature, the 49ers essentially have been the same team in every game they have played. They have cruised to victories by scores of 30-7, 30-23, 30-12 and 35-16.
The 49ers’ early-season success has been accomplished with a business-like approach.
“We have an end goal in mind, but everyone’s hungry to do the little things right,” 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy said following the team’s victory Sunday over the Arizona Cardinals. “And the coaches are hard on us when we win because there’s (more) plays to be made out there.
“There are things that we could be better at. And I feel like last week we sort of took that to heart and guys came out just very detailed. So it felt good.”
As well as the 49ers are playing, they have not been perfect. Heck, Purdy was only 95.2 percent (20 of 21) on Sunday, so there’s plenty of room for improvement. (That was a joke, folks.)
But what’s not a joke is our weekly installment of 49ers overreactions. Shall we?
Our defense isn’t nearly as good as our offense! (Kevin Buursema)
Overreaction: No.
OK, perhaps “not nearly as good” is a bit of an overstatement.
Let’s just say the 49ers’ offense has passed up the team’s defense for being the team’s most dynamic feature.
The defense is still good — one of the best in the NFL. The offense, however, has taken it to a whole new level with big-time playmakers at every position group.
First-year defensive coordinator Steve Wilks still is in the process of figuring it out and determining how the pieces fit together.
In three of the 49ers’ games, there have been alarming sequences in which the defense did not live up to their own high expectations….
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