49ers Make Claim For Best Team in the NFL
Super Bowls aren't won in October but San Francisco sent a message to the rest of the league with their 42-10 dismantling of the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.
A Sunday night matchup between the Cowboys and 49ers had all the makings of a classic. Two storied franchises, long time rivals, both teams considered the cream of the crop in the NFC, a pair of efficient offenses combined with terrifying defenses. Instead fans were treated to a dull one sided affair that saw San Francisco continue there recent ownage over Dallas. The game was never really close, both on the scoreboard and on the field. San Francisco out gained Dallas 421 to 197, was +3 in the turnover battle and never trailed in their 42-10 victory.
The 49ers offense continued to do what it has done all season, put up points. Sunday marked their 5th straight week eclipsing the 30 point mark and once again switching up the featured player, this time it was TE George Kittle. With Christian McCaffery being the focal point for the Cowboys defense they limited him to 51 yards on 19 carries a TD and a fumble. So naturally Kittle stepped in to pick up the slack, with 3 REC for 67 YDS and 3 TDs, a career high mark. Kittle found the endzone in a variety of ways, on a broken, trick and schemed play, the latter being the most impressive as he showed off his route running ability to spring free in the endzone.
The focus on McCaffery and the run game really opened up the 49ers passing game and allowed QB Brock Purdy to shine. Purdy had arguable his best game as a 49er, with a line of 17/25 for 252 YDS and 4 TDs. Once again in Week 5 Purdy was remarkably efficient with a 0.71 EPA/P and a 69% Success Rate, while getting the ball out quickly (2.26 TTT). What made this Brock performance so impressive, likely the most impressive of his young career was his ability to hit big time throws, an ability he has flashed at times but never quite strung together consistently. His most impressive set of throws coming on the first drive out of half time, with his best coming on a deep corner route to Brandon Aiyuk that didn’t even count.
That three throw stretch are the type of throws his detractors say he can’t make or people who are “Brocknostic”, which is a category I would include myself in, want to see him access more before crowning him as a legit difference maker at QB. Purdy has had a strong start to the season largely benefiting from the Shanahan system and the playmakers around him but games like last Sunday, where he showed the ability to hit the true big boy throws, on the national stage, versus an elite defense, is what makes this 49ers offense different that the ones that have fell short before it.
The defensive side of the ball for San Francisco was just as impressive as the offense. They held a Dallas offense, who coming into the week was Top-10 by almost all metrics to 10 points, 197 yards and 8 first downs, all their lowest single game marks on the year. Add in 4 forced turnovers and 4 sacks on 19 pressures versus a very good offensive line it was a truly dominant performance.
The 49ers Front-4, for good reason, gets a lot of praise and while they were again fantastic on Sunday, it was the Back-7 who dominated this game. Linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw were everywhere Sunday Night. Warner the NFC Defensive Player of the Week had 4 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 INT and 1 Sack, the last of which came on one of the more impressive individual plays any defender has made this year.
The secondary was fantastic as well. Starting CBs Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir allowed only 3 catches on 7 targets for under 50 yards combined, while each adding a pair of fantastic PBUs, one of which lead to a Warner INT.
The star role player award of the night goes to NCB Isaiah Oliver, who has rebounded from a tough preseason to be an integral part of this defense. Oliver was fantastic as a run defender with 4 TKLs and 3 Stops on the night, as a bigger player he has the ability to fit the run game in the box and allow the defense to live in Nickel.
His tackling ability and physicality also extended to closing on ball carriers out of underneath zones.
And while his final coverage stats don’t look amazing, he allowed 5 REC for 52 YDS and a TD, outside of the one KaVontae Turpin TD, he was fantastic. Oliver displayed very good spatial awareness in zone and was able to hold his own in man versus all the Cowboys WRs and their varying skillsets. His best coverage play on the night actually came on the Fred Warner sack above, where he tracks CeeDee Lamb across the field allowing Warner to close on the QB.
The 49ers were expected by many to be a Super Bowl contender coming into the year but they were not without their warts. A young inexperienced QB and plenty of turnover on the defensive side of the ball were legit concerns. Now five weeks through the season they look like the team to beat in not just the NFC but the NFL, as Brock Purdy continues to improve each week and the new additions have stepped snuggly into their new roles. Super Bowls aren’t won in Week 5 but the 49ers have sent a message to the rest of the league, that right now, they are the team to beat.