While the San Francisco 49ers' Week 13 defeat to the Buffalo Bills was an evening to forget for most on the team, it was, at least for one reason, one to remember for rookie defensive tackle Evan Anderson.

Anderson made his first start for the 49ers in the Sunday Night Football clash, with injuries on the defensive front giving him an opportunity he undoubtedly deserved having worked his way up from being an undrafted player kept on the practice squad to an increasingly important part of the rotation.

Though the 49ers slumped to a 35-10 blowout loss in the snow, Anderson once again showed why San Francisco thinks so highly of him.

Anderson did have an embarrassing moment in the game where he slipped flat onto his face while attempting to get out of his stance in difficult conditions. However, he was the 49ers' highest-graded run defender by Pro Football Focus, registering three run stops that represented a failure for the offense on 18 run defense snaps. 

Following that display, Anderson ranks tied fourth among all interior defensive linemen with a run stop rate of 11.5 percent. He is 11th in PFF run defense grade.

Playing at 326 pounds, Anderson logged a total of 33 snaps against the Bills, a week on from recording four run stops in a season-high 36 total snaps in the Week 12 loss to the Green Bay Packers. 

The San Francisco run defense as a whole may be struggling to do its job, but Anderson continues to perform admirably in providing heft in the middle while staying on the field for long stretches and making a strong case for him having a long-term role in the same capacity D.J. Jones filled from 2017 to 2021.

Jones was in essence a de-facto nose tackle for the 49ers and thrived at making plays against the run before signing with the Denver Broncos in free agency.

Anderson looks to have what it takes to help the 49ers belatedly fill the void he left, though Jones has more explosiveness as a pass rusher than the former Florida Atlantic defender appears to have in his locker.

There may be big changes on the defensive front in the offseason as the 49ers set about attempting to fix the issues that have led to them struggling to rush the passer and stop the run consistently.

But in Anderson they have a building block who can help ensure they do the latter with more success in the seasons to come. 

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