DeMeco Ryans says the struggles against the Chiefs had a simple cause

The the 49 they have had one of the best defenses in the NFL this season, especially in recent weeks. However, a 44-23 loss to the San Francisco Chiefs remains the biggest blemish on the unit’s resume. Niners defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans was asked about that performance at Thursday’s press conference, and he had a simple explanation.

“Since the Chiefs game, guys have got to do their job and tackle,” Ryans said. “I’d give you more details, but it’s easy. In the Chiefs game, what we didn’t do, we didn’t get off the field because we didn’t make a play on third down, we broke coverages. We were not where we should have been.”

The 49ers’ defense was torched by Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes threw for 423 yards and three touchdowns while racking up 112 yards on the ground in his rushing attack. The Chiefs took advantage of a couple turnovers by the Niners, but the defense’s inability to get any consistent stops was the driving force behind the blowout.

Since that game, however, the 49ers defense has put together four stellar performances against the Rams, Chargers, Cardinals and Saints. The Niners have allowed just 10 points per game during that stretch and have not scored in the second half in their last three games.

Below is a transcript of Ryans full response:

From the Chiefs game, guys just have to do their job and tackle. I’d give you more details, but it’s simple. In the Chiefs game, what we didn’t do, we didn’t get off the field because we didn’t make a play on third down, we broke coverages. We weren’t where we needed to be. We didn’t do our job and when you don’t do your job consistently, you’re going to get embarrassed like we did in that Chiefs game. And it’s not that they did anything that surprised us, it’s just the boys performing.