The 49ers’ defense is a problem. Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryan’s unit is balling of late, putting up a flurry of mind-boggling stats in the 13-0 blanking of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
The Saints' goose egg on the scoreboard extended San Francisco's shutout streak to a whopping 94 game minutes. That stretch dates back to a two-yard touchdown scamper by Arizona running back James Conner with 4:24 remaining in the second quarter of the 49ers' 38-10 victory over the Cardinals on Monday night.
The 49ers also haven't yielded a single point in the second halves of their latest four games -- wins over the Los Angeles Rams, Chargers, Cardinals and Saints. No team has hung more than 16 points on the 49ers' defense over that span.
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On Sunday, New Orleans had the football inside the 49ers' 44-yard line on five different possessions -- and three times inside the 30-yard line -- but failed to score a single point. Alvin Kamara coughed up the football at the 49ers' 6-yard line in the fourth quarter, and the Saints turned the ball over on downs from the 4-yard line on their final drive of the game.
"They were unbelievable today," coach Kyle Shanahan said of the 49ers' defense. "I thought they had a chance to do well, but they even surpassed that. [Saints quarterback Andy] Dalton made a couple of big throws, two of those posts, getting inside the [5-yard line] twice and our D coming up with no points on that. They were great getting the two turnovers.
"Big time day by them.”
The 49ers' defense now leads the NFL in points, total yards, rushing yards and first downs allowed per game.
San Francisco 49ers
On the Saints' end of the shutout, the stats continue to be ridiculous. That was the first time New Orleans has been blanked in 332 consecutive games, which was the fourth-longest active streak in the NFL. The Saints' streak began after coach Steve Mariucci steered the 49ers to a 38-0 shutout of New Orleans to close out the 2001 NFL season.
The 49ers are now responsible for New Orleans' last four shutouts in franchise history -- those two losses packaged with a 23-0 defeat in 1997 and a 31-0 blanking in '98.
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"To hold the team to a goose egg in the NFL, that ain't easy, especially a couple of the short fields that they had," 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said after the game. "But we’ve got hell of a defense, man. I love playing with those guys. They are some dogs out there."
The 49ers' defense has passed nearly every test it has faced this season. But now, the attention turns towards the Miami Dolphins' dynamic passing attack for an anticipated clash next Sunday at Levi's Stadium.