The San Francisco 49ers need to improve their run defense ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
They allowed Green Bay Packers star Aaron Jones to put up 108 yards on the ground last week.
They hadn’t allowed any player to record 90+ rushing yards this season.
Now, they’re going to face another tough challenge, as they’ll have to go against the Detroit Lions’ solid running back tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Gibbs has been red-hot in the final stretch of the season, finally proving why the team was so high on him and why he was taken so early in the first round.
With that in mind, Niners defensive coordinator Steve Wilks admitted that he doesn’t know whether such a talented player like Gibbs can actually be contained (via Around the NFL).
“I don’t know if you can contain him,” Wilks said. “We have to do a great job swarming the ball, and he’s phenomenal. He’s four-three on paper, he is four-three on tape. He plays to that speed.”
Niners DC Steve Wilks on Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs: “I don’t know if you can contain him” https://t.co/oEt1UrwOZ1 pic.twitter.com/fATtnh9czX
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) January 26, 2024
He averaged just over 15 touches per game and almost 85 combined yards per game.
Nonetheless, he’s finally becoming more comfortable within the offense, as he proved by torching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 114 total yards (74 rush, 40 receiving), including a 31-yard TD run.
The Niners have one of the best defensive lines in the game, but the Lions’ one-two punch is also quite dominant and can wear any defense out.
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