3 things we learned in Week 2: The 49ers defense will have growing pains

Two weeks, two tight wins for a San Francisco 49ers team coming off plenty of close losses in 2024.

After a nail-biter Week 1 victory in Seattle, San Francisco pulled off another close win in New Orleans, holding off the Saints late to cling to a 26-21 victory.

The big story entering the game is just how well the hobbled 49ers offense could operate without Brock Purdy, and Mac Jones picked up the slack, leading the offense to 26 points against a gritty New Orleans defense.

While we learned what Jones can offer to the 49ers (more on that in a second), we start with what we learned on the defensive side of the ball:

There will be growing pains with defense

The 49ers used their first five selections in this year’s draft on the defense, so there will be moments and games where players wil