Study reveals Levi’s Stadium is one of the 3 toughest places to play during the past 2 years

Levi’s Stadium has served as the home stadium in Santa Clara for the 49ers for nearly a decade. But when you ask a non-Niners fan, they still believe the team plays their games in San Francisco.

We’re still in the adolescent stages of Levi’s Stadium. Despite struggling it the early years and a new location, attendance remained steady, and has since. The 49ers were anywhere between No. 12 and No. 14 in homefield attendance from 2014 through 2019.

In 2021, a year after no fans were allowed in stadiums, Levi’s attendance dipped to 19th. But last year attendance peaked at 8th. The 49ers came into the year with sky-high expectations off the heels of an NFC Championship appearance.

There’s a reason the Faithful have shown up in waves during the previous two seasons. San Francisco’s record at Levi’s Stadium is 12-5 since ‘21. They’re averaging over three touchdowns a game and 11 of those 12 victories have been by at least seven points.

Dominant. That’s how you’d describe the 49ers home performance. As Steven Patton lays out above, and below, based on the 49ers winning by margin below:

It’s one thing to win, but it’s another to exceed oddsmakers expectations. So while the 49ers have the sixth-best winning percentage at home during the past two seasons, only the Lions cover at a higher rate than the Niners, and that’s by 2.2 percent.

The Faithful are rewarded with superior performances at home. That’s something that the 49ers expect to continue in 2023.

What’s the secret to success?

A stingy defense.

We discuss the quarterback position, Kyle Shanahan, and the offensive skill group ad nauseam, but the engine that drives this beastly team is on the defensive side of the ball. Only two teams have allowed fewer points per game during the two-year span.

The above-average defenses bend but don’t break. The top-tier defenses takeaway before they break. No defense has forced (21) or recovered more (13) fumbles during this two-year stretch at home.

There isn’t a stat out there that’d paint a better picture of the 49ers living up to their bullying moniker. The first quarter hits take a toll. The jabs feel like haymakers by the fourth quarter. The results speak for themselves.

Even during the ‘19 Super Bowl run, the secondary wasn’t known for forcing turnovers. Even when this unit peaked in 2019, they weren’t known for interceptions in the secondary. Surprisingly, only four teams have more interceptions and, equally important, only four teams have more interception yards.

At Levi’s Stadium, the Niners defense capitalizes on their opponents mistakes. We saw the best of both worlds last year with Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey at the helm, as evidenced by the final scores. Games that were once 24-9 turned into 35-7.