Coming into the 2022 NFL season, the 49ers' defense was projected to be elite, and lo and behold, they have been just as advertised.
Five games into the season, one stat shows just how dominant the 49ers' defense has been so far.
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Those two touchdowns came in the 49ers' Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears, with Justin Fields being the only quarterback to have thrown a touchdown pass against San Francisco's defense. Additionally, following their lopsided Week 5 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the 49ers' defense now has two defensive touchdowns on the season.
Safety Talanoa Hufanga scored a defensive touchdown after intercepting a pass from the Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in the 49ers' Week 4 win. Emmanuel Moseley had the second in the 49ers' win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Having one of the league's elite defensive units through a third of the season, the 49ers now will have to make do without Moseley, who is feared to have suffered a torn ACL in the win over the Panthers, per coach Kyle Shanahan.
RELATED: 49ers' elite defense best in Shanahan era, Whitner believes
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Nevertheless, the 49ers' defense is expected to remain a top unit, despite the injuries.
While San Francisco gets the offense in sync, their defense will keep them in games and in some cases, even put some of those matchups away.