49ers fans have a love-hate relationship with Levi’s Stadium.
Located 45 miles south from the heart of San Francisco, it can take up to two hours for some fans to arrive on a Game Day. For all of its amenities, it certainly doesn’t have the nostalgic feel of Candlestick Park.
But the results on paper might be better than you expect.
Since the 49ers opened Levi’s Stadium in 2014, no NFL team is allowing fewer points at home (15.0). In 17 games played at the futuristic concrete slab, the 49ers are 9-8. That’s not half bad for a team whose been trending in the wrong direction for three straight seasons.
Coaches and schemes have changed since three times the debut game in September of 2014, yet opponents consistently have trouble scoring down in Santa Clara. It’s a phenomenon veteran players like Antoine Bethea had a hard time putting into words this week in the locker room.
“It doesn’t really make sense,” Bethea said. “But we’ll take it.”
In the same time span since Levi’s Stadium opened, the 49ers are allowing an NFL worst 33.5 points per game on the road. The Panthers put up a 46-spot in Week 2, and the Seahawks totaled 37 points last Sunday. The 49ers couldn’t stop the bleeding on the road, but at home in Week 1, there wasn’t a drop of blood. The Rams were shutout 28-0 in a decisive performance displaying a variety of talented defensive players.
There are a few explanations for why the defense at home has been so much better than the road.
Bethea and NaVorro Bowman are the only starting players older than 27 years old. Younger players tend to feed off the crowd’s energy and feel more comfortable playing at home. Cross country flights have historically hurt road opponents.
If there’s ever a week for the 49ers’ defense to confirm their dominance at home, it’s now. The Cowboys will be without wide receiver Dez Bryant, and are touting a rookie quarterback in Dak Prescott and a rookie running back in Ezekiel Elliot. Superb offensive line or not, expect the 49ers to concoct a game plan that will confuse Prescott. Defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s exotic blitzing schemes walloped Los Angeles. On the flip side of the coin, Prescott has not played like a rookie at all and the Cowboys lead the NFL in first quarter scoring margin (23-0).
The 49ers are starting to feel the effects of the NFL’s brutality. Jimmie Ward is sidelined for a few weeks with a quad strain. Arik Armstead’s snaps have been limited because of a shoulder injury suffered in training camp, and he said he’ll play through the pain instead of opting for surgery. Promising inside linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
But because of the limitations at quarterback with Blaine Gabbert, and the lack of playmakers at receiver, the 49ers only real chance of avoiding a 4-12 season rests on the heels of this defense. The more low-scoring games this team is in, the less agonizing this 2016 season will be.