The 49ers' defense is used to the burden of high expectations, and it has consistently lived up to them, establishing itself as arguably the best in the NFL over the course of recent seasons.

Though San Francisco finished strong on defense in the Week 2 win over the Rams, most on that side of the ball would agree that as a collective, Steve Wilks' group fell short of the standards they set for themselves in Los Angeles.

Now the focus is on a home opener against the Giants on Thursday, when the expectation on the defense to deliver will be even greater after New York had three players ruled out for the primetime clash.

Running back Saquon Barkley was unsurprisingly ruled out after spraining his ankle in the Giants' Week 2 comeback win over the Cardinals.

His absence removes New York's most dangerous offensive weapon, and the 49ers' loaded defensive front will also have the benefit of going against a Giants offensive line missing two starters.

Starting left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring), a second-team All-Pro last season, and left guard Ben Bredeson (concussion) will join Barkley in missing the game. Azeez Ojulari misses out on the defensive side for the Giants because of a hamstring issue.

The losses of Thomas and Bredeson are huge blows to an offensive line that has allowed quarterback Daniel Jones to be pressured on 41 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus. Only C.J. Stroud (44) has been pressured on more dropbacks across the first two weeks of the season.

Though the 49ers struggled to get home against Matthew Stafford in their win over the Rams, San Francisco's defensive linemen have combined for 50 pressures already in 2023.

With second-year tackle Joshua Ezeudu and veteran guard Mark Glowinski set to step up to the starting lineup, the 49ers should be extremely confident of adding significantly to that tally and getting Jones on the ground consistently.

New York's counter to the threat of the San Francisco pass rush will likely to be get Jones on the move and allow him to do damage with his legs.

The 49ers have proven vulnerable to mobile quarterbacks in years gone by but, given the talent disparity between the Niners' defensive front and the Giants' offensive line, it is tough to see Jones' dual-threat upside being enough to turn an apparent mismatch on its head.

Last week, the Niners' defense started slow in large part because of the brilliance Stafford. While Jones was excellent for the Giants in the second half against Arizona, the odds of him repeating that performance against this vaunted San Francisco defense with two backup offensive linemen appear slim. The 49er defense has a huge advantage in their Week 3 matchup, and it must live up to the expectation that it will make that edge count.

Final Injury report for the 49ers Week 3, vs. Giants

Two key players are questionable.

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