With an undrafted first-time starter at LT (Nijman) , rookies at C and RG, and a 2nd year 6th rounder Runyan at LG, that snap-to-release time helped a ton. For the draft choices spent on these guys, they have done very well indeed.

Back when the 49ers were awful for years, they spent a monstrous amount of first round draft capital on their defensive front 7. Even with the busts they had (like Aldon Smith and Reuben Foster) and the loss of DeForest Buckner (who cost too much to keep), they still have a formidable front 7 on defense.

Although the two head coaches (both with an offense history) are in the same 'tree', their defenses differ (SF are mainly a 4-3) and so do their priorities. In the draft, Green Bay has been more than extravagant for the last 6-7 years in improving the DBs, spending very little on the D line.

49ers have a D line of Armstead, the underrated D.J.Jones, Kinlaw and (Nick) Bosa, one of the best lines in the league, and Warner is pushing for best ILB as well (maybe except for the Colts Darius Leonard). They aren't that strong at OLB but they rely on getting after offenses with their front 4, because if they are slow to the QB, their usually suspect DBs are likely to get burned.

If the Packers can hold against that (and they did), there aren't many better defenses. Rams should be at the top, then the Bucs, though some of them, like Ndamukong Sue and Jason Pierre-Paul (ages 34, 32) are getting older . The Colts are good and so are the Browns with bookends Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. Very likely the Packers face some of these defenses in the playoffs.

Watch out for the games between weeks 12 and 16. Even with a bye week in there, the Pack face something of a defensive murderers row of Rams, Bears, Ravens, Browns (fortunately only the Ravens are an away game).