The San Francisco 49ers seriously struggled to stop the run in their first preseason game, should that leave the fan base and team concerned? The quick answer is no. The 49ers run defense has been one of the best in the NFL for several years, and it won’t be as dominant as it was in the 2011 season, it shouldn’t be a problem. The real reason they struggled was the fact that five starters in the front seven didn’t play, and that ignores the nose tackle position because it remains to be seen who will start there regularly. Both starting defensive ends, and three starting linebackers didn’t touch the field at all, and Ahmad Brooks only saw 11 snaps.

The real concern should be if an injury occurs to any starters, and they should miss extended time. The backups struggled against the Ravens, and that’s usually to be expected with backups. However many players on the 49ers defense that aren’t starters are younger players, they aren’t journeymen that should have excelled. Quinton Dial and Cornellius Carradine played well, which is promising, especially since Dial is the frontrunner to replace Glenn Dorsey who injured his bicep and will likely miss the season.

The team will also be without all-pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman for close to the first half of the season, but with talented rookies Chris Borland, Shayne Skov, and career special teams/backup Michael Wilhoite, him being out won’t hurt as much as it could. The pressure is on for these three as they are replacing one of the best linebackers in football right now.

Fans shouldn’t be worried about this run defense, maybe the secondary, but even that should be fine. Barring injuries, the 49ers defensive front should be stout against the run, but without a rotation to rest the starters, the older lineman may wear down. It’s a long season ahead, save concern for a month or two from now when we see a finished product playing as a unit.