The San Francisco 49ers offensive was inadequate for much of Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, but the defense put together a decent game. They continue their Jekyll-and-Hyde performances between home and road games. It is no longer a surprise to see this, but it is no less frustrating. The snap count does not reveal everything, but we can make some pretty specific inferences based on it. We looked at the offensive snap count earlier, and now we'll look at the defensive side of the ball (Gamebook PDF).
Defensive Line
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| DT | Quinton Dial |
46 |
72% | 4 tackles, 2 assists |
| DT | Ian Williams |
44 |
69% | 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB hit, 1 fumble recovery, 1 neutral zone infraction penalty |
| DT | Arik Armstead |
30 |
47% | No stats |
| DT | Mike Purcell |
28 |
44% | 1 tackle |
| DT | Tank Carradine | 13 |
20% | No stats |
| DT | Tony Jerod-Eddie | 10 |
16% | No stats |
The defensive line stats are fairly low thanks in large part to NaVorro Bowman and Gerald Hodges having big days. Of course, Ian Williams had a strong performance. Tank Carradine only finished with 13 snaps, but was out on the field as a "starting" edge rusher in the team's early nickel defense. I imagine the Bengals focus on the run resulted in the limited work. I could see Tank getting a lot of work this coming weekend when the 49ers travel to face the Lions.
Outside Linebackers
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| OLB | Ahmad Brooks | 56 | 88% | 3 tackles, 2 assists, 1 sack |
| OLB | Eli Harold |
31 | 48% | 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB hit |
| OLB | Corey Lemonier |
28 | 44% | 1 tackle, 1 assist, 1 unnecessary roughness penalty |
Aaron Lynch was inactive for the second straight game, which meant we got to see more of the Eli Harold/Corey Lemonier rotation. Harold got slightly more snaps, a week after Lemonier got a sizably larger number of snaps. Whether or not Lynch returns in Week 16, I have no idea what to expect from this rotation.
Inside Linebackers
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| ILB | NaVorro Bowman | 64 | 100% | 8 tackles, 4 assists, 1 tackle for loss, 1 defensive pass interference penalty |
| ILB | Gerald Hodges |
54 | 84% | 9 tackles, 1 assist |
It was a work-horse day for these two. They were among the most active players on the 49ers defense, thanks to the Bengals focus on the run game. Bowman is now tied with D'Qwell Jackson for the league lead with 136 tackles.
Cornerbacks
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| CB | Tramaine Brock | 64 | 100% | No stats |
| CB | Dontae Johnson | 53 | 83% | 1 tackle |
| CB | Jimmie Ward |
37 |
58% | 4 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss, 1 QB hit, 1 pass deflection |
| CB | Kenneth Acker | 9 | 14% | 2 tackles |
| CB | Keith Reaser | 9 | 14% | No stats |
This is an odd one. The 49ers decided to replace Kenneth Acker with Dontae Johnson in the starting lineup. This is the first time both have been active and Johnson ended up with more snaps. I'm not sure what's taken so long to get Johnson more work opposite Tramaine Brock, but it will be something to watch next week against the Lions.
Safeties
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| S | Eric Reid | 64 | 100% | 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB hit |
| S | Jaquiski Tartt |
64 | 100% | 2 tackles |
It will be interesting to see what happens this offseason when Antoine Bethea returns to full health. Tartt has been inconsistent for stretches, but he can be a play-maker for this defense. Once Bethea is healthy, a release is not entirely out of the realm of the possible.