The 49ers defense looks AWESOME. Dare I say, as dominant as the 1985 Chicago Bears defense?
1985 and 2022 are completely different eras. The game’s rules are dramatically different. Today’s offenses are much more wide open.
Yes, this 49ers defense dominates like the ’85 Bears did. And a major bonus is that our head coach isn’t a whack job.
Pretty interesting. The 49ers have always been synonymous with offense, not defense. I do see they are the NFL leader in best points-allowed defense.
Not really, at least for the past 20+ years or so.
The 49ers defense is really good, and it’s true that you can’t always compare stats from different eras, but based on these two stats the '85 Bears were the most disruptive defense I’ve ever seen.
So, roughly 8 times a game – or one out of 8 offensive snaps – they were delivering a game-altering play. Just devastating.
That’s my take, as well. San Francisco likely has the best defense in the league this year, but I’m not sure that they’re as dominant as the 1985 Bears defense was.
The '85 Bears only gave up 198 points in the regular season; that’s 146 points below the average for that season, and 65 fewer points than the next-best defense that year (the 49ers, amusingly enough).
Without checking stats, ISTR the 2013 Seahawks defense reminding me of the '85 Bears. They seemed to never let offenses get comfortable, and humiliated Payton Manning’s Broncos in the Super Bowl.
This 49ers defense is easily better than the 2019 season that carried them to the Super Bowl. They’re also better than the 2012 team. It’s exciting to watch.
The defenses of the 49ers in their golden age got overshadowed by the offense, but were still dominant. But it’s really hard to compare this era to that. But in any case, comparing this wonderful squad to the best defensive season in NFL history is a bad idea. Unless they shut out multiple playoff opponents on their way to a championship, maybe.
Shutouts? It’s a very different game today. Offenses are much more wide open. Rules have changed to allow for more scoring.
I’m watching the 49ers game against the Commanders. I’ll say it again: a dominating defense that reminds me of the ’85 Bears. There’s almost 40 years between the two teams and it’s a very different game today than it was in 1985. But to my admittedly biased, 49er-loving eye, I see Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, Steve McMichael, Otis Wilson, and Leslie Frazier and company wearing red and gold.
The dominance is similar between the two squads. If the 49ers stay healthy on defense, this team wins Super Bowl LVII in February. Mark my words.
This feels premature. Keep in mind that the ‘85 Bears allowed 4135 yards and 198 points in 16 games compared to the 49ers’ 4355 yards and 230 points allowed through 15 games.
EDIT: I’m also counting only 31 takeaways by the 49ers compared to 54 for the Bears.
EDIT 2: Wow, the '85 Bears had 64 sacks. The 49ers currently have 36. To put that in proper context, the '85 Giants led the league with 68 sacks, Raiders were second with 65, then the Bears were third. Defense in general was better back then.
Yeah, one way of looking at this is that during the game you were reminded of this comparison, a well below-average passing team threw for 289 and 3 touchdowns against them. Nothing wrong with that, really, but when you’re comparing them to the most oppressive force there’s ever been, probably relevant at least.
To my eye, that pass defense is the major thing that jumps out. When you factor in sacks and turnovers, the 85 Bears gave up well below 3 adjusted net yards per pass attempt by the other team. Led the league easily and is an insane number to the eye. This year’s Niners give up 5.3 adjusted net y/pa, which is top 10 in the league and a good number, but not much better than everyone else like the Bears were.
Another way to summarize it: the Niners give up a passer rating of 83.7 this year. Right in between the Texans and the Cowboys. The Jets are #1 at 80.8, Raiders last at 98.6.
The Bears gave up a rating of 51. Next best was 61, worst was 90.1. Just a different planet entirely.
I think this tracks with their respective personnel and with the game results. The Bears were rarely even challenged, and their only loss was a decent game by Marino where the Bears shot themselves in the foot with turnovers. Meanwhile the Niners are a very good defense, but have been roasted by Mahomes and (unfair because this hadn’t happened yet) by Jarrett Stidham this weekend. And they’ve been beaten a few times. Overall they rank as the best run defense and a very good pass defense. The Bears were the best run defense and an even better pass defense.
If one goes by points allowed, which of course is the point (ha!) of the sport, the Niners have allowed 264, which is the lowest in the league, but not by a lot:
Niners: 264
Bills: 270 (but have played one fewer game)
Ravens: 288
The Niners are notably way under anyone else in the NFC though; next is Dallas at 316.
The '85 Bears, by comparison:
Bears: 198
Niners: 263
Jets: 264
Rams: 277
Average offense in 1985 was about 20.5 points a game; today it’s slightly higher, about 21, but not dramatically different.
At least to my eye the Bears were superior; 198 points is a genuinely ridiculous number. The Niners aren’t close to that. NOBODY is close to that.
And the year after that the Bears allowed even fewer points, giving up just 187. Offense was legitimately down that year; the NFC averaged maybe 300 points per team, but that is still a sensational performance and was 49 points lower than anyone else. They continued being outstanding for several more years. What that tells me is that 1985 was not a fluke; this was a collection of awesome defensive players, well coached.
Now, of course, the 1985 Bears also played rather solid defense in the playoffs - in three games they gave up ten points. TOTAL. All of those were in the Super Bowl, and seven were in the fourth quarter of a game that was completely out of hand anyway. They had previously shut out the Rams and Giants.
I have to go with the 1985 Bears. They were ridiculous, the greatest defense in NFL history.
I don’t know what the stats look like, but the only defense I’ve ever thought was close to the '85 Bears was the 2000 Ravens. But I never felt they were equal to or better than the '85 Bears.
(Ironically, by the official NFL measure of yards allowed, I think the Titans were the #1 ranked defense in 2000, not the Ravens.)
The Ravens that year only gave up 161 points, an astonishing accomplishment. The Titans also only gave up 191, which is amazing.
The 1985 Bears gave up 65 fewer points than anyone else; the 2000 Ravens had two teams closer to them than 65 and both were in their conference. The two worst offenses in the NFL were in the Ravens’ division and in four games against those teams the Ravens only gave up 14 points in total.
The Ravens, however, were kind of a one year thing; they were very good the year after but not the best, and actually below average the year after that. That looks more flukey than the 1985 Bears.
Not sure that defenses were better; just that sacks were more common. QBs typically took 7-step drops. Today’s QBs take 3- or 5-step drops and are trained to get the ball out a lot more quickly.
As well as passing from the shotgun formation much more often than was done in the '80s.
To reinforce this:
First playoff game, Phil Simms, (who had completed 56% of his passes that season, 240 yards/game, for a 79 passer rating), against the Bears: 14 for 35, 149 yards, no TD or INT, 53 rating, 6 sacks
Game two: the great Dieter Brock (almost 60% completion, 177 yds/g, 82 rating): 10 for 31 (!), 66 yards (!), no TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks
Then the really fun one. Tony Eason (56% completion and lousy 68 rating that year) starts and goes 0-6 and is sacked 3 times, losing 28 yards and fumbling once in the greatest performance in Super Bowl history. Steve Grogan (54.5%, 187, 84) came in and went 17 for 30, 177 yds, 1 TD 2 INT, 57 rating and 4 additional sacks, in what, in context, has to be said to be a fantastic substitute performance. It’s still miserable, and of course they were drubbed.
It’s sort of a Michael Jordan situation with the Bears defense – you can certainly put together an argument for the teams mentioned in this thread, plus, the 76 Steelers, the 91 Eagles (also a Jim McMahon - Buddy Ryan team), the Lovie Smith Buccaneers, and some others, but since nobody succeeded against the Bears you really can’t say for sure anyone could have done better.
I’ve always thought it was kind of a shame that New England upset Miami in the AFC championship that year. Their QBs (Eason and Grogan) were absolutely no match for that Bears defense, whereas Marino had already beaten them once (albeit at home) and the Dolphins were a Shula-coached team with a highly potent offense. If the Bears had beaten them, their claim as greatest defense ever would be more secure.
Yeah guys, I thought this topic might gain some traction after the 49ers almost lost to … The Raiders??? Really, the Raiders?
Deservedly so. But I’m in the middle of something and will catch up here.
I was going to be the first to post after that game but haven’t been able to come up for air.
The Raiders, with Jarrett Stidham, at that.