Even as they made a return to the Super Bowl last season, the San Francisco 49ers saw an area that had typically been a strength in the Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch era turn to a weakness down the stretch in 2023.
San Francisco's run defense took a surprising downturn across the final five weeks of the regular season and the 49ers' first two playoff games.
Between Week 14 and the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers surrendered 127.9 yards per game on the ground. Across the first 13 weeks of the regular season, they gave up 79 yards per game, the fewest in the NFL.
Resuming normal service in 2024 will be a priority for a 49ers team that has revamped its defensive line this offseason, and the urgency to do so should be increased by news from OTAs from their closest challengers in the NFC West.
The Los Angeles Rams saw running back Kyren Williams break out last season, his 1,144 yards rushing second only to the 49ers' Christian McCaffrey.
Williams missed the Rams' OTAs with a foot injury but is expected back by training camp. However, Los Angeles also made a big move to add to its backfield in the draft, selecting Michigan star Blake Corum in the third round.
And, to this point, their head coach Sean McVay could not be happier with how Corum has progressed.
Said McVay this week: “On the offensive side, I’ve been pleased with a lot of guys but Blake Corum has really stood out.
"Mature beyond his years. I love the way that he handles himself. I love even more how when there’s been a couple of things that didn’t go the way we wanted, how he responded the next play. The mental toughness that you see from him. [Running backs coach] Ron Gould is excellent with that room. Even Kyren in his own way has done such a great job of imparting a certain amount of wisdom with him."
Williams is still likely to be the lead back for the Rams, but McVay's kind words for Corum suggest that, in addition to having a dynamic passing game with Matthew Stafford possessing a tremendous rapport with both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, Los Angeles could also soon have one of the best one-two punches in the backfield in the NFL.
For the 49ers to maintain their supremacy over the Rams and continue to be the dominant force in the division, the reigning NFC champions simply can't afford to have their run defense continue to struggle.
They arrested their slump in that area in the Super Bowl defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs and, though much of the personnel up front has changed, the 49ers' standards in defending the run simply must not slip. The talent the Rams have amassed in their backfield serves to hammer home that point.
