How hot is Steve Wilks’ seat after Week 8 against the Bengals?

We’ll start this by saying the defense isn’t the sole reason why the San Francisco 49ers lost that game to the Cincinnati Bengals.

But...ugh, that was gross. Over 400 yards of total offense allowed by the 49ers defense? This isn’t a young team. This is a team with Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and other superstars. Nick Bosa got a half sack to his credit while Arik Armstead got two.

And yes, Bosa got pressures, but even with the pressures he got, something was off. The Bengals didn’t even have to double up on him like other teams do and still got time to throw.

Then there’s just how lethargic they looked. Early in the first quarter a fumble fell out for the taking, and it seemed like a half step until they knew there was a live ball.

But make no mistake, the defense wasn’t the sole reason the 49ers lost this game, but they definitely didn’t look good in any of it. While they didn’t allow a 100 yard rusher from the Bengals, they still allowed 134 yards on the ground and a 5.2 average to Bengals running back Joe Mixon. Not good.

So Steve Wilks? Welcome back to the grilling. It’s time to do another Heat-O-Meter into the bye. You know how this works, our poll is final, and it allows us to see just how much we can overreact. The power of the Heat-O-Meter is unrivaled.

So you know what to do: is the hate on Steve Wilks warranted or is it (still) a massive overreaction? I don’t think there’s much in trades or talent the 49ers need to change defensively. They just haven’t played well schematically. The defense is a mess and the buck stops with Wilks.

Honestly, I have to go with “hot hot hot” at this point. I doubt the 49ers make a change at the bye, but if this type of defensive dysfunction continues for the next few weeks, it’s hard to see Wilks making it past Thanksgiving. At the very least, things are toasty.