Why Antoine Bethea Is San Francisco 49ers' First-Half MVP

When identifying the San Francisco 49ers’ first-half MVP, look no further than a 30-year-old safety playing his first season with the team.

Wait, seriously?

Antoine Bethea, who’s in his ninth NFL campaign yet just his first sporting the red and gold, is the 49ers’ most valuable player through the opening nine games of 2014.

In a year in which San Francisco is 5-4 and remains alive in the playoff hunt, the defense is the primary reason why this club isn’t 3-6 and eliminated from postseason contention.

And Bethea, for his part, has been the leader of that season-saving contingent.

Yes, believe that too.

A four-game swing in the win-loss column due to victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions from the Niners' strong safety.

Indeed, tackles, takeaways and goal-line stops played pivotal roles in those outcomes.

Let’s now eliminate the more prominent names and other key contributors from contention before analyzing precisely why Bethea is the 49ers’ first-half MVP.

Note: Players who have not suited up in all nine games don’t qualify for this list. That leaves out the likes of Chris Borland, Mike Iupati and Patrick Willis.

Not Quarterback, Receiver, Linebacker—or Anyone Else

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Here’s the case for and against various potential candidates.

Colin Kaepernick

Kap’s five touchdown passes, zero interceptions and 120-plus passer ratings fueled the 49ers offense in road wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Rams. He also helped save the season with a 51-yard conversion to Michael Crabtree on 4th-and-10 against the Saints.

However, his four turnovers versus the Chicago Bears and goal-line fumble as time expired against St. Louis cost the 49ers dearly in those two losses.

Anquan Boldin

Boldin has led the 49ers in receiving yards in five different games. He’s also made a host of clutch grabs on third down that have kept numerous drives alive.

But the otherwise mistake-free security blanket recorded an unsightly—and nearly game-killing—four drops in the second half in Week 10. ESPN Stats & Info reminds us that Boldin dropped four passes for the entire 2013 season (via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez).

Aaron Lynch

Lynch has been San Francisco’s most consistent pass-rusher since Week 1. He ranks second on the team with 23 quarterback pressures, fourth with four pass breakups and ninth overall league-wide among 3-4 outside linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Yet the draft-day steal in Round 4, who also has zero missed tackles on the year, technically isn’t an every-down player. Call it nitpicking, but his reduced snap total keeps Lynch from earning the MVP nod.

Perrish Cox

Cox has materialized as the second-most valuable player for the 49ers. He leads the team with 13 pass breakups, ranks second among NFL cornerbacks with four interceptions and 10th overall with a 59.7 passer rating allowed in his coverage area, per PFF.

Even while also serving as the most versatile player for his tremendous work at left, right and slot corner at various points for the Niners, he falls just short of the top honor.

His two touchdowns given up—notwithstanding the mismatches against Demaryius Thomas and Jimmy Graham—place Cox in the No. 2 spot.

Antoine Bethea: The Unsung—but Deserving—First-Half MVP

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Allow us to declare at the outset that Justin Smith is an equally deserving candidate.

In fact, the argument can be made for “The Cowboy” as the 49ers’ first-half, second-half and season-long MVP for every year of the Jim Harbaugh era (2011-present).

One could even state that case for every season Smith has donned the red and gold since 2008.

Smith is the quintessential 3-4 defensive tackle. He is the man who occupies multiple blockers in the trenches, allowing linebackers, corners and safeties to make plays.

No. 94 handles the dirty work up front, and no one does it better.

His role as fundamental catalyst aside, we opted for an asset who produces in more tangible ways on the field.

Here’s a bullet-point breakdown of Bethea’s superlative rankings, in order of impressive to most impressive, among 85 safeties graded by PFF:

• Eighth overall grade in pass-rushing
• Fifth in solo tackles
• Fourth in pass breakups
• Third overall score in run-stop percentage
• Third overall score in pass coverage
• Second-fewest touchdowns allowed (one)
• Second-most interceptions (three)
• Second overall ranking

Oh, and he also leads the 49ers with 585 defensive snaps and hasn’t committed a single penalty all year.

Yet what Bethea accomplished at four distinct moments against two NFC division leaders has proven essential in preserving the Niners’ playoff livelihood.

Two Wins, Four-Game Swing, Playoff Hopes Alive

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Let’s begin by returning to Week 4.

On their opening drive of the second half against Philadelphia, the 49ers went three-and-out after attaining just one first down.

They trailed 21-13 and had shown very little on offense up to that point. The Eagles retained possession—and momentum.

As if right on cue, Bethea stuffed LeSean McCoy for a short gain on first down and punched the ball loose from tight end Zach Ertz on the very next play.

Perrish Cox recovered for San Francisco, and Stevie Johnson’s highlight-reel touchdown catch a few minutes later cut the deficit to 21-20.

Bethea continued his mastery with another stop on McCoy in the backfield and an interception on Philadelphia’s next two drives. Phil Dawson followed suit by putting the home team up 26-21 with a pair of field goals.

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But it was just before the two-minute warning when Bethea registered his most significant contribution.

With the Eagles only six yards away from retaking the lead, McCoy appeared to finally break through the Niners’ otherwise impenetrable front on 2nd-and-Goal. He exploded for five yards off left tackle and was headed for the end zone.

Yet just when this ill-fated season seemed destined to a lowly 1-4 start, Bethea came crashing in and prevented McCoy from extending across the final three feet.

The 49ers defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs two plays later. They officially sealed the win with a Cox interception on Philly’s last-ditch series with less than a minute left.

Lastly, Bethea cemented his most valuable honors during the do-or-die win over the Saints.

It occurred on just the third play of the game.

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Drew Brees took the snap from shotgun on third down and surveyed his downfield options. Finding a desirable target, he launched a pass to Marques Colston near midfield.

Bethea read the savvy gunslinger like a hawk and executed a perfectly timed leap toward the ball. The 5’11” defensive back secured the interception and took it 22 yards to the Saints’ 19-yard line.

Three power runs off left tackle to Frank Gore later, and the 49ers jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Bethea’s pass breakup and second-leading eight tackles by game’s end helped the Niners clinch the 27-24 win in overtime.

Remember that New Orleans simply doesn’t lose at home.

The Sean Payton-coached Saints had been 20-0 at the Superdome since 2011, per Pro-Football-Reference.com (minus Payton’s season-long suspension in 2012).

In a historically unwinnable environment, Bethea’s immediate takeaway reversed history by setting the tone for the entire game.

The 49ers would play shutdown defense, pound the rock to Gore and serve up some mistake-free football the rest of the way while protecting the lead.

Even though it didn’t quite materialize as such, Bethea established the foundation from which San Francisco would eventually emerge victorious.

And because of his first-half MVP prowess, the 49ers are now alive and well at 5-4 for a second-half push toward the postseason.

Next up is a Week 11 matchup with the very beatable New York Giants.

All team and player statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com, ESPN.com and NFL.com. Advanced metrics provided by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). 

Joe Levitt is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, waxing academic, colloquial and statistical eloquence on the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him on Twitter @jlevitt16