Steve Wilks is the hottest defensive coordinator in the NFL right now, and just three weeks it seemed like he was fighting for his job. Maybe he deserves an apology. In retrospect, the 49ers completely threw him under the bus after their three-game losing streak, which looks like a mere blip in hindsight considering they now have won three games in a row. But during the losing streak, Wilks and his defense was the scapegoat, even though the offense scored just 17 points in each of the three losses. So the 49ers traded for Chase Young to give Wilks reinforcements, and Wilks had to move from the coach’s booth to the sideline to call plays. And if that didn’t change things, he likely would have gotten fired, just like Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who got fired this week after recently having to move from the booth to the sideline. Wilks was under a ton of pressure. When asked about it a few weeks ago, he grinned and said, “I’m kind of built for this.” He wasn’t joking. The past three weeks, Wilks’ defense has been elite at everything. It has given up a league-low 10 points per game, and 7 of those 30 points were a pick-six from Brock Purdy. It also has generated 5 sacks per game — 2nd most in the league. Plus an average opponent’s quarterback rating of 66.0 — 3rd lowest in the league. Plus 71 rushing yards per game — 3rd lowest in the league. Suddenly Wilks’ defense has no weaknesses. Don’t give the credit to Chase Young — he didn’t have a stat in the 49ers’ Thanksgiving win over the Seahawks. Give the credit to Wilks. He deserves it.
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