Week Eleven

In even quicker succession:

49ers 34, Jacksonville 3

49ers 27, Tampa Bay 14

The bye week clearly was a tonic, or we can all say it was.  These last two weeks have shown complete dominance by the 49ers, over one very good team and over one average team with a good defense. In both games Brock Purdy has been lights-out. The one scary pass he threw, early in the game against the Jaguars, was caught by Brandon Aiyuk for a touchdown instead of intercepted by any of the three defenders encircling him.  With that out of the way, Purdy since has been a model of efficiency, with the occasional "wow" factor, such as the 76-yard bomb to Aiyuk yesterday that carried 60 yards in the air and still led the fast receiver as he caught it in stride.  Purdy posted a perfect passer rating in yesterday's game. And though the Bucs' aggressive defense sacked him four times, he also carried the ball for a 13-yard run to a first down late in the fourth quarter that effectively ended the game.

The 49er defense turned one of the league's finest young quarterbacks, Trevor Lawrence, into a pumpkin last week, with five sacks and two interceptions. Tampa's Baker Mayfield fared a little better yesterday, though he was sacked four times and threw a critical fourth-quarter interception into the end zone. That's all credit to Mayfield, who had no running game to depend on. He spread the ball around to nine different receivers and was able to sustain drives. But again and again the Bucs failed to score as the defense came through when needed.

Bad news: Talanoa Hufanga may have torn his ACL, which means he'd be out for the season. Ji'Ayir Brown, who stepped into the breach after the injury, led the team with three passes broken up, and it was he who picked off Mayfield in the end zone to thwart Tampa's last threat. He'll need to do more of this if he's to be the starter going forward.

Good news: Everyone else looks to be healthy and in peak condition. And, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Seattle Seahawks yesterday, rallying for 10 late points. This leaves the 49ers alone in first place in the NFC West, with the upcoming Thanksgiving night game at Seattle looming large.  

Trouble Ahead, Trouble Behind

In quick succession:

Cleveland 19, 49ers 17

Minnesota 22, 49ers 17

Cincinnati 31, 49ers 17

 

Well, it's a long way from undefeated and sittin' on top of the world, isn't it? Over the past three weeks, the 49er defense has been shredded on the ground, Brock Purdy has thrown more interceptions than touchdown passes, Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams have been absent from the field, and "What's wrong with the 49ers?" has become a healthy discussion topic on the sports shows and networks. Old suspicions about Kyle Shanahan's ability to make in-game adjustments and to trust his quarterback in "crunch time" have resurfaced. Purdy's ability-- not his execution, his ability-- to lead the team from behind late in the game has been questioned, and open concerns about his "ceiling" having been prematurely reached are now prime currency among the worriers. Seattle is in first place in the division and over the past month they've looked like they belong there. Still ahead are two games against that outfit, plus road games in Philadelphia and Jacksonville, and a home game against Baltimore, who may be the best team in the AFC.  You can look at the nine remaining games and reasonably posit a 9-8 finish and no guarantee of even making the playoffs.  

All in all, it appears the bye week arrived just in time. True to form, John Lynch went right out and got the best player available through trade, Chase Young from Washington. Despite the presence of Nick Bosa and Justin Hargrave, the 49er pass rush has been more heard-about than heard-from this year, and no one seems to know why. Young brings great and proven ability to the defensive line, and this team is, at least ostensibly, built around that dominating line-- when it dominates, that is.  It's not just a lack of pass pressure, it's been the alarming tendency of opponents to run right through it and on into the secondary at critical times. Cincinnati converted so many third downs last Sunday we actually had to look at the stat sheet to see if they hadn't made them all. 

Statistically, the 49ers still look pretty good; near the league lead in most positive categories, not too far negative in any. Sweeping through the first five games of the season will do that, of course; and it's also worth a reminder that no matter how excruciating it was to watch this team agonizing through the last three losses, they still had every opportunity to win the Minnesota game and really should have won the Cleveland game, undone only by rookie kicker Jake Moody's misfire. If a team is, as Bill Parcells, used to say, about as good as its record, the 49ers are still a winning team. 

It's a sense of balance that's missing; this team is built to win by doing everything well in general without relying on anything exceptional in particular. To hear Shanahan and Lynch describe it, no more than a few adjustments here and there, some impact players returning to the field, and a big old dose of common sense are all that's needed. This league is wildly unpredictable from week to week and there are a lot of weeks to cover, and continuity has a tendency to be a sometime thing. The 49ers win when it isn't.   

    

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.. 

Week Three

49ers 30, Giants 12

It was the home opener, and the better team won. Watching the two quarterbacks, it's clear that Daniel Jones is a real talent, and there's just no way to tell how good he might be if he had a good, consistent offensive line in front of him. Not having Saquon Barkley also had to hurt. As for Brock Purdy, it's clear he is absolutely imperturbable and doesn't let mistakes bother him. Not having Brandon Aiyuk had to hurt, especially in the first half, when Purdy missed several downfield throws. But he adjusted, getting the ball to George Kittle and Deebo Samuel in the second half, and both showed their "beast mode" moves as the 49ers put the game away with their trademark physicality.

Now comes another home game, against the Cardinals, who until last week were widely considered one of the league's weakest teams. This has all the earmarks of a "trap" game, as Arizona is coming off an almost embarrassingly  dominant win over previously-unbeaten Dallas and now faces another undefeated team rated among the NFL's best. With those same Cowboys lurking in a prime-time showdown a week from Sunday, this one could be cause for a little worry-- among us fans, that is. We doubt the team will worry half as much, or overlook this one.

In the interconference battles, the AFC won all four last week (Bengals over the Rams, Bills crushing Washington, the Chargers' last-minute win over the snakebit Minnesota Vikings, and KC pounding woeful Chicago). ). The NFC now holds a two-game advantage after three weeks. 

 Week Two

49ers 30, LA Rams 23

The 49ers are still undefeated in the regular season when Brock Purdy is their starting quarterback. That's going to come to an end eventually, and the Rams gave their best effort to make it happen yesterday, but in the end the better team won. 

We were right about this year's Rams, though; this team is tough to beat. It's easy to forget how good a coach Sean McVay is, and how adept he and GM Les Snead are at recognizing coachable talent.

The Rams won the first half of the game, but when coach Shanahan went for the TD with one second remaining before halftime and got it, we had  feeling the second half would belong to the 49ers, and it did. Deommodore Lenoir intercepted Matthew Stafford twice, Christian McCaffrey was brilliant again, and Brandon Aiyuk's first-quarter injury was not as serious as we feared. 

Now a short week, and the New York Giants in town without Saquon Barkley. Daniel Jones put on a terrific show yesterday in the big comeback, but how will he and his offense fare against this defense without their most explosive player? 

The NFC continues to dominate the interconference games. The Washington Commanders turned back Denver in a thriller and the Dallas Cowboys won another blowout, over the Rodgers-less New York Jets.  That's 6-0, NFC, after two weeks.

Week One

49ers 30, Pittsburgh 7

This one was over quickly.  Any concerns about Brock Purdy being tentative, easily fatigued, or even ineffective after offseason shoulder surgery and a quick recovery were put to rest on the first series, which set off a 7-play drive to the young QB's first touchdown pass of the season. It was all 49ers, on both sides of the ball, from that point on, as they rolled up a 20-0 lead in the first 25 minutes. At that point the Steelers had a total of minus-4 yards. Kenny Pickett then led a long, 12-play, 95-yard drive to make it 20-7 at the half, but any Pittsburgh fan's hopes of a turnaround died a quick death in first minute of the third quarter.

If you can only see one highlight reel from this game, it's got to be Christian McCaffrey's 65-yard broken-field explosion, with Brandon Aiyuk and Ray-Ray McCloud leading the way with downfield blocking reminiscent of Jerry Rice and John Taylor. Beautiful! And that play settled it. Pickett padded his stats in garbage time but never did Pittsburgh threaten to score again. Nick Bosa, he of the mega-contract, was such a force you rarely saw him; double- and triple-teamed throughout, he left lanes wide open for his teammates to pick up five sacks.

And remember all the preseason concern about rookie kicker Jake Moody? 6-for-6, with three field goals and three PATs.  After all, in the preseason the Steelers looked like potential champions and the 49ers like actual chumps, too. 

The NFC won all four of the interconference matchups this weekend, starting with Detroit's sensational upset of defending champions Kansas City on Thursday night. Sunday saw the Saints edge the Tennessee Titans in Derek Carr's New Orleans debut, Philadelphia slugging out a 25-20 win at New England, and the 49er victory.  .

We were pleased to see the Los Angeles Rams shred the Seattle Seahawks, of course; nobody expected the 2021 champions to do anything but compete for last place considering their massive roster turnover. Now the 49ers head down south to SoFi Stadium for their first matchup, and we expect the Rams to provide an exciting game-- but not too exciting, if you know what we mean.