The 49ers find themselves in an NFC West division they can win. No team in the Division is superior to the other and each team entered this year with obvious areas of weakness. Given the parity, the team that has been most successful in addressing their weaknesses from last season will have the best chance to win the title this year.
For the 2010 49ers, one area of weakness stands out to me more than any other and it was clearly evident during three critical games in the first half of the season. Although each game had its own personality, they all had one thing in common – the 49ers held leads or were tied late in the 4th quarter but the defense was unable to keep their opponents from putting together long scoring drives.
In week 2 against the Saints, the 49ers’ offense ceased the momentum in the 4th quarter after scoring a late touchdown and converting on a 2-point conversion attempt to tie the game. But with 1:14 left and the ball on its own 30, the Saints marched 53 yards for a game-winning field goal with time running out. In week 4, the 49ers traveled to Atlanta to play the Falcons. With the 49ers leading 14-13 in the 4th quarter, Atlanta forced and recovered a fumble by Nate Clements after he intercepted a pass that should have sealed the victory. Starting on its own 7 and 1:20 on the clock, the Falcons rolled down the field for a game-winning field goal with 2 seconds to spare. In week 7, the 49ers faced the winless Panthers in Carolina. With the 49ers leading 20-13 and 4:30 left in the 4th quarter, Carolina started a drive on its own 37 that ended in a 23-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. Four plays later Carolina got the ball back on its own 43 following a 49ers turnover and needed only one play, a 35-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage, to get into field position for the game-winning kick with 39 seconds remaining.
It appears that these three losses from last season were not forgotten by the 49ers as they put together the 2011 team. Of the 20 new players on the 49ers 53-man roster, 11 are defensive players compared to eight offensive players and kicker David Akers. The 11 new defenders include six secondary players and two pass rushers, a clear sign the 49ers are determined to improve their pass-defense. Starting cornerback Carlos Rogers is an upgrade from the departed Clements and starting safety Donte Whitner, who was 5th in the NFL last season in tackles, will also be blitzing quarterbacks under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s defensive schemes. Rookie first-round draft pick Aldon Smith is a pass-rushing specialist who was #2 overall in sacks during the 2011 preseason with 3.5 sacks and undrafted rookie free agent Demarcus Dobbs added 2.5 sacks during the preseason. The remaining defenders, particularly veterans like safety Madieu Williams and linebacker Larry Grant, will be more than special-teams players, adding depth to the defensive unit that will hopefully translate into fresher players and more stops during the critical 4th quarter.
There has been a lot of public pressure this year on the 49ers organization to replace beleaguered quarterback Alex Smith. Instead, the 49ers have decided to bolster their pass-defense even at the expense of entering the season with two rookie backup quarterbacks. It may be the 49ers understand that last season could have ended much differently had their defense been able to make some critical 4th quarter stops and that the window of opportunity to win the division is right now if they can improve in that area. The 49ers have tried to do that. The question that remains to be answered is whether they were more successful in shoring up weaknesses than their counterparts in the Division.
Note: All game summaries are from Yahoo! Sports.