After a convincing victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers are now a strong favorite to win the Super Bowl. On paper, their running back is outperforming the rest of the league, but their quarterback has emerged as a clear MVP favorite in several areas.
The squad has already won four straight games overall by at least 13 points per, won back-to-back away games against elite opponents by a combined score of 73-32, and their average margin of victory is an absurd 13.6 points.
A peculiar three-game losing streak in the middle of the season seems to be an anomaly from the past. Perhaps even more significantly, it strengthened an already exceptional squad.
Let’s dissect it.
For 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who led this San Francisco squad to Super Bowl LIV and oversaw the Atlanta Falcons offense in Super Bowl LI, it’s probably just a matter of time until he wins a Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Currently, the offensive wizard is getting the most out of Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy, and an outstanding set of blockers and pass catchers for an offense that is averaging an NFC-high 6.5 yards per play on average.
Shanahan has put together a system that minimizes the amount of quick thinking required of the quarterback, which is a major factor in Purdy’s success considering he was selected in the seventh round. With his intricate pre-snap motion and inventive play design, which may be unrivaled in the modern NFL, he simultaneously challenges defenses both vertically and horizontally while getting important weapons into space and maximizing yards after the catch.
After serving as a coordinator or head coach for 16 seasons, 43-year-old Shanahan is officially in his “prime” as a coach. It is quite lovely.
A Pioneer in the Making, Brock Purdy
Purdy, on the other hand, has contributed rather regularly. Arriving from the seventh round of the previous year’s draft, he is obviously a diamond in the rough; he leads the league in yards per attempt, passer rating, QBE, adjusted yards per attempt, completion percentage, touchdown rate, and adjusted yards per throw. He also ranks second in completed air yards per throw.
Incredibly, considering that he was Mr. Irrelevant less than two years ago, he is a strong candidate for MVP. With deep throwing attempts, the dude’s rating rises to 124.5, making him the ninth-highest qualified single-season passer in league history.
Kurt Warner and Brian Sipe were the only MVP quarterbacks selected either not at all or lower than Purdy in the draft. Purdy, 24, has the potential to become the third-youngest quarterback to win the award in history. It’s almost absurd that a seventh-round sophomore is the most valuable player in the league, which is what makes Purdy and the 49ers so unique.
Shanahan stated earlier in the season, “Brock is fun to call plays for because you can get aggressive, and he’ll take it if it shows because that’s what you work on.” You chat all week, but you also don’t hesitate to call because, in most cases, he won’t push if it doesn’t work out. He’s going to see what you’ve been talking about immediately, realize it’s not the appropriate look, and pass the ball to someone underneath. Additionally, because we have some gifted players who can sprint with the ball, we frequently create some huge plays when we get balls to individuals underneath.”
MVP Candidate Christian McCaffrey Is Also
Leading that group of “talented guys who can run with it” is McCaffrey, who has a league-high 17 touchdowns in 12 games and 1,461 scrimmage yards, leading all NFL backs by a margin of 300 yards or more.
For the second time in his career, the 27-year-old running back is expected to finish in the top 10 all-time fantasy points total, which might put him in the race for Offensive Player of the Year or even MVP.
McCaffrey, who leads all NFL backs by a margin of 300 yards or more, leads that group of “talented guys who can run with it” with a league-high 17 touchdowns in 12 games and 1,461 scrimmage yards.
The 27-year-old rushing back is predicted to place among the top 10 all-time fantasy point scorers for the second time in his career, potentially placing him in the hunt for MVP or offensive player of the year.
McCaffrey is a constant force in the air and on the ground, relieving a great deal of burden on Purdy and other top weapons like George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk. With a total of 35 touchdowns scored so far this season, the foursome’s presence helps explain why Purdy’s throw completion percentage is an extremely low 1.9 percent. This machine has a very high level of oil.
This might be the first time ever
The 49ers defense, led by outstanding veterans Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Arik Armstead, and Javon Hargrave, leads the NFC in both points allowed and takeaways. What’s crazy is that we haven’t even discussed them.
When you combine everything, you have something truly unique.
It’s not too far to go for the 49ers to lead the league in points scored and points allowed per game, which is very uncommon.
Some contemporary parallels with this 49ers roster?
The No. 2 overall choice Carson Wentz, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to victory in the 2017 Super Bowl, was a terrific second-year quarterback who tremendously benefited from Doug Pederson’s offensive genius. The Eagles finished in the top five on both sides of the ball.
Pete Carroll played the “Kyle Shanahan role” for the Seattle Seahawks in 2013, when Russell Wilson, a sophomore star quarterback, led the team to victory in the Super Bowl. Though they weren’t as explosive or successful offensively, that club had the top defense in the league.
Then there were the legendary 1999 St. Louis Rams and the even more legendary 2001 New England Patriots, who were both quarterbacked by significant draft picks that were considered afterthoughts early in their careers, had legendary coaching staffs, and finished with incredibly high rankings on both sides of the ball en route to the Super Bowl.
However, even those champions didn’t finish quite as high as the 49ers may in 2023.
What Comes Next?
What then appears to be this rising favorite’s future course? The hard part is over, which is wonderful news. Only one of their remaining five games—against Baltimore in the Bay Area in Week 17—will be played away from home, with three of those games taking place at home.
Regretfully, the 49ers still need to defeat the Eagles in order to win the NFC title and secure a vital first-round bye. The Eagles are in the middle of a difficult stretch that will see them play Dallas and Seattle over the following two weeks, so San Francisco should be expected to run the show from here.
I am aware that on any given Sunday, etc. For this unique NFL contender, though, it appears like everything is coming together.
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