Week Five

 49ers 42, Dallas 10

Still undefeated, that's one thing. But to deliver an absolute skunking to a team widely considered a genuine rival and Super Bowl contender-- well, that's another.  

Pardon us, but what part of the 49er machine didn't function at optimal level on Sunday night? The secondary? Two interceptions, and from Dallas' fine stable of receivers, only one touchdown catch. The linebackers? Fred Warner was the player of the game, with a highlight-film interception, and seemed to be everywhere at once, while Dre Greenlaw made hit after crushing hit throughout the game. Defensive line? Four sacks, and a grand total of 57 rushing yards for Dallas. Offensive line? One sack, 170 rushing yards.  Run game? Mr Touchdown, also known as Christian McCaffrey, had his obligatory one, to go with 78 total yards. Rookie Jordan Mason, the backup's backup, had 70 yards, including a TD, and averaged nearly 7 yards a carry. Kyle Jusczyk, the throwback fullback, caught all 4 passes thrown his way and he scored a touchdown, too. Neither Brandon Aiyuk nor Deebo Samuel joined in the scoring fun, but together they put up 170 more yards. And, of course, George Kittle. .The Irrepressible One scored three times, each one a celebration in his inimitable style. Finally we have Brock Purdy: 252 yards, four touchdowns, and a perfect-touch, on-the-run, downfield scoring pass to Kittle for the game's first points. It set the tone for the rampage to follow. 

Don't expect it will always be this easy, but savor it nonetheless. Now comes Cleveland, in their house, with another good defense claiming to be the NFL's best. They're good, all right, but people, we saw the best on display Sunday night.

There were six interconference games this weekend, and the AFC rebounded with four wins. The Miami Dolphins, led by their defense for a change, rolled over the New York Giants while Joe Burrow regained his form as the Cincinnati Bengals outlasted Josh Dobbs and the Cardinals, who have made a habit of fading late in games. The defending champion Chiefs defeated Minnesota, and the Raiders defeated the Packers, who for the first tine in over two decades look like just another team. On the other side, the Saints hammered the New England Patriots, who are looking worse than "just another team," and the scrappy Atlanta Falcons managed to defeat the Tennessee Titans. The conferences are now even-steven.

Most divisions are settling around .500, but once again the NFC West is looking strong at 11-8. The Los Angeles Rams are better than anyone thought they would be. They gave the Eagles a fine battle for three quarters Sunday, and if the Cardinals can learn to keep away from late-game mistakes, this division could seriously unbalance the NFC playoff picture. 

Trivia question: When was the last season neither the New England Patriots nor the Green Bay Packers made the playoffs?

 Week Four

49ers 35, Cardinals 16

The conventional NFL wisdom that claims running backs are replaceable and interchangeable evidently hasn't taken Christian McCaffrey into account. Jumping headfirst into the early-season MVP sweepstakes, McCaffrey scored four touchdowns Sunday, gained 106 yards on the ground and another 71 through the air, and generally made things impossible for a Cardinals team that played well and kept it close for most of the game. 

For his part, Brock Purdy could hardly have been better, completing 20 of 21 passes for 281 yards as he won his eighth straight regular-season start. And for those skeptics who don't believe he's got the arm, check out the highlight reel at 7:35 of the second quarter. You'll see a laser shot downfield, 50 yards in the air, that was not only completed to Brandon Aiyuk but actually led the speedy receiver, who had to reach out ahead to haul it in on the run. 

And all this is made possible by a 49er offensive line that looks much improved from a year ago. Arizona's only real defensive strength is their pass rush, but they just couldn't get to Purdy even when they knew he had to throw. And as for run blocking-- well, watch McCaffrey's four TDs and a couple of his big runs. The man has a nose for the end zone and the open lane, but check out those downfield blocks.

It was a clean game, no turnovers, no controversial calls, no ugly personal fouls. The Cardinal offense, led by Tennessee alumnus Josh Dobbs, played well against the 49er defense, held the ball for half the game, and gained nearly as many yards. Dobbs, whom some thought was a give-up choice at QB when Kyler Murray was ruled out, is playing better each week. We wish him well and hope he'll do Big Orange proud.   

Now comes the first showdown of the season-- those beloved Dallas Cowboys, Sunday night at Levi. Purdy, McCaffrey, Deebo, Kittle, Jusczyk and company facing mighty Micah Parsons and his crew. Dak Prescott trying to make up for two bad playoff performances against a defense that has been his Kryptonite so far. Ought to be a good one.

RIP to Russ Francis, the maverick tight end who loved to fly. We remember when he "buzzed" the old 49er training camp in Redwood City, infuriating Bill Walsh. But come Sunday, there he was, blocking like a Pro Bowl tackle and grabbing passes over the middle and rumbling downfield. He was one of a kind, he helped the 49ers win a championship, and while he may have left us doing what he loved best, he's still gone too soon. Blessings to his family..