Can the defense of the San Francisco 49ers be considered elite?

The bread and butter of the San Francisco 49ers was supposed to their offense since head coach Kyle Shanahan is an offensive guru. Jimmy Garoppolo was returning as well, so the offense had a lot of expectations. However, through three games of the season it has been the defense of the 49ers that has been their strongest side of the ball.

Their wins over the Buccaneers and Steelers do not happen if not for the defense. It is quite the scene to see how great this defense has performed, especially when you compare them to last season. The defense only recorded seven turnovers all of 2018. They have tied that amount through the first three weeks of this season.

It is both an indicator of how poor they were last season and how vastly improved they are this season. The 49ers added an ample amount of talent on defense, specifically when it comes to the pass rush. Thanks to those additions, they're impact is being felt on all levels of the defense. It certainly makes Robert Saleh's job a whole lot easier to scheme and call plays.

#49ers are second in the NFL with 32 points off seven takeaways. It took three games to match their takeaway total from last season.
— Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman) September 23, 2019

This defense has been nothing short of dominant in their three games played and rank as one of the best in the NFL so far. Given what we have seen this season, can the defense of the San Francisco 49ers be considered elite?

Other than the fact that it is a small sample size to judge off of, I would lean towards no. The 49ers' defense has yet to be tested by a threatening offense or even a good quarterback. Their best competition that they have faced thus far has been Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals, which isn't saying much.

Last Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mason Rudolph only completed two passes that went for over a yard. He didn't even have many attempts to where he threatened the defense.

Now the 49ers' defense did have something to do with it because of all the pressure, but a lot of that is just poor play from an inexperienced player. And then there was the week one opponent in Jameis Winston who really doesn't scare anyone. When the 49ers return from their bye in week five they will be hosting the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football.

Once again, that isn't really a threatening offense given what we have seen from Baker Mayfield and Freddie Kitchens. I would expect the defense to have another strong outing and show out on primetime. I know the 49ers can only play who is in front of them, I get that. They are a good defense, but not an elite one, at least not yet.

They still need to be dominant over a longer period of time and have to perform well when they do finally square off with a legitimate offense. The first real test will be when they hit the road to face their division rival the Los Angeles Rams in week six. That will be the game where we can grab the measuring stick to see if the defense of the 49ers is the real deal.

Once again, I am not denying that they aren't good because they certainly are. Robert Saleh looks to be a solid coordinator now that he has undeniable talent all over the defense. Still, this defense is not elite yet. These next few games for the San Francisco 49ers will give us better clarity on if the defense really is elite. Even with Ahekllo Witherspoon out for a month, who is the most improved 49er, the defense should still be playing at a high level.

The heart of this defense is their pass rush since they make the lives of the other position groups so much easier. There is still time for them to fully put their stamp on the league to put everyone on notice. Right now, not too many people are not taking them seriously, which is typical for a team coming off a poor season the year prior. The under the radar role fits this team fine and it'll only make it much sweeter when their success continues.