[OutsiderFan]

That TNF game...

First of all, the NFL must do something about that outrageous intentional grounding by Daniel Jones that took a sack and TFL from Dre Greenlaw that can cost him money (guys get paid for those stats). A wrist flick of the ball with the defender's arms wrapped around you, when you are 2 yds from the sideline, is NOT a legit throwing away of the ball. It is an egregious violation of sportsmanship. But Greenlaw gets a 15 yd unnecessary roughness penalty for hitting ball carrier right as whistle is blowing. Absurd.
 
The Niners continue to be a terrible Red Zone team. They are 20th in the NFL. They were 20th in 2022 as well. Not good for a Super Bowl contender. You'll remember I was very leery of their playoff chances last year because they were such a bad Red Zone team. With Purdy being such an excellent passer between 10-20 yards, this is inexcusable. It's inexcusable.  They simply must get better on this measure. You've got McCaffrey, Samuel, Aiyuk, Kittle, and Juszczyk, plus a QB with great short area quickness. Simply no reason to not be more efficient scoring TDs. Much better on 3rd down conversions, so I'm hopeful they can get to a Top 10 RZ efficiency.

I'm a little perplexed why the Niners aren't registering more sacks, but I think the numbers will start increasing as the season goes on and they get more comfy with Steve Wilks, who seems to be very flexible with his concepts.  I know Dallas is #1 in YPG allowed and some other stats, but they haven't played a real offense with a real QB. The Niners have in the Rams. The Niners are the #1 D still, IMO, with room for improvement.

McCaffrey could have easily had another 100 yd rushing game. But Shanahan clearly wanted to limit his runs. Could have really padded his stats in the 4th quarter. He's now on pace to rush for 2,000 yards. Too bad he couldn't have hauled in the TD pass from Purdy. Really surprised he didn't as he has made that catch before and usually doesn't drop anything. Maybe he can take some pointers from Deebo, who has amazingly strong hands and might be the most physical WR to ever play the game. Dude is a battering ram. But so too is CMac, and certainly Kittle as well. Usually I'm against throwing the ball short of the first down line on 3rd or 4th down, but when you've got guys who can make 2-3 yards every time they get th ball after contact in the open field, it gives the offense a potency beyond just points scored.

Speaking of that...Some people were claiming the Niners aren't as good as Cowboys because they beat the Giants 40-0 and the Niners were only up by 8 in the 3rd quarter. Well, last I checked, football is a 4-quarter game, and there are different and more sustainable ways to win than others. There is a reason the Niners are now the Super Bowl favorites. What they did to the Steelers and Giants, and to a degree the Rams, is more sustainable. While Dallas sort of had a first round knockout of the NY football outfits, the Niners beat the living shit out the their opponents over 11 rounds and then lay them flat on the canvas in the 12th. To me, the latter is more sustainable over the long haul.

Usually, you aren't Super Bowl favorite without a legit MVP candidate. Now, I could argue CMac should be a more likely MVP candidate than Brock Purdy, but I think we know the QB position is the most important. After last night's game, Brock Purdy now has the 10th best MVP odds. Shockingly, Joe Burrow - whose season is on the brink - is ahead of him. Purdy took a while to adjust to Giants' "kitchen sink" defense on a short week without a lot of preparation, but after he did, his performance was excellent. It won't be long before NFL DCs are afraid to blitz Purdy. Of course, the other option is to drop more into coverage. The Rams tried this approach and Purdy put up his worst passing game of his career. He had to make lots of throws with 8 defenders in coverage and zone blitzing. He was a little too quick on his deep balls, but he made some truly remarkable throws in that game and the offense put up 30 points. Then 4 days later he faced a blitz crazy Giants defense that gave him no time to throw and the offense put up 30 points. 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1705060969909719514[/tweet]

How do you defend this guy? You give him a little bit of time trying to confuse him and he picks you apart with his  understanding of zone coverages against passing concepts and how to fit the ball in tight windows. You heat him up and he finds answers against man coverage and is accurate in the screen game. If you force short throws, you have to worry about receivers racking up yards after the catch, as they bulldoze defenders. Then on top of that you have to stop a potent run game with arguably the most unstoppable RB in the NFL.

Again, there is a reason the Niners are now Super Bowl favorites.

[OutsiderFan]

That TNF game...

First of all, the NFL must do something about that outrageous intentional grounding by Daniel Jones that took a sack and TFL from Dre Greenlaw that can cost him money (guys get paid for those stats). A wrist flick of the ball with the defender's arms wrapped around you, when you are 2 yds from the sideline, is NOT a legit throwing away of the ball. It is an egregious violation of sportsmanship. But Greenlaw gets a 15 yd unnecessary roughness penalty for hitting ball carrier right as whistle is blowing. Absurd.
 
The Niners continue to be a terrible Red Zone team. They are 20th in the NFL. They were 20th in 2022 as well. Not good for a Super Bowl contender. You'll remember I was very leery of their playoff chances last year because they were such a bad Red Zone team. With Purdy being such an excellent passer between 10-20 yards, this is inexcusable. It's inexcusable.  They simply must get better on this measure. You've got McCaffrey, Samuel, Aiyuk, Kittle, and Juszczyk, plus a QB with great short area quickness. Simply no reason to not be more efficient scoring TDs. Much better on 3rd down conversions, so I'm hopeful they can get to a Top 10 RZ efficiency.

I'm a little perplexed why the Niners aren't registering more sacks, but I think the numbers will start increasing as the season goes on and they get more comfy with Steve Wilks, who seems to be very flexible with his concepts.  I know Dallas is #1 in YPG allowed and some other stats, but they haven't played a real offense with a real QB. The Niners have in the Rams. The Niners are the #1 D still, IMO, with room for improvement.

McCaffrey could have easily had another 100 yd rushing game. But Shanahan clearly wanted to limit his runs. Could have really padded his stats in the 4th quarter. He's now on pace to rush for 2,000 yards. Too bad he couldn't have hauled in the TD pass from Purdy. Really surprised he didn't as he has made that catch before and usually doesn't drop anything. Maybe he can take some pointers from Deebo, who has amazingly strong hands and might be the most physical WR to ever play the game. Dude is a battering ram. But so too is CMac, and certainly Kittle as well. Usually I'm against throwing the ball short of the first down line on 3rd or 4th down, but when you've got guys who can make 2-3 yards every time they get th ball after contact in the open field, it gives the offense a potency beyond just points scored.

Speaking of that...Some people were claiming the Niners aren't as good as Cowboys because they beat the Giants 40-0 and the Niners were only up by 8 in the 3rd quarter. Well, last I checked, football is a 4-quarter game, and there are different and more sustainable ways to win than others. There is a reason the Niners are now the Super Bowl favorites. What they did to the Steelers and Giants, and to a degree the Rams, is more sustainable. While Dallas sort of had a first round knockout of the NY football outfits, the Niners beat the living shit out the their opponents over 11 rounds and then lay them flat on the canvas in the 12th. To me, the latter is more sustainable over the long haul.

Usually, you aren't Super Bowl favorite without a legit MVP candidate. Now, I could argue CMac should be a more likely MVP candidate than Brock Purdy, but I think we know the QB position is the most important. After last night's game, Brock Purdy now has the 10th best MVP odds. Shockingly, Joe Burrow - whose season is on the brink - is ahead of him. Purdy took a while to adjust to Giants' "kitchen sink" defense on a short week without a lot of preparation, but after he did, his performance was excellent. It won't be long before NFL DCs are afraid to blitz Purdy. Of course, the other option is to drop more into coverage. The Rams tried this approach and Purdy put up his worst passing game of his career. He had to make lots of throws with 8 defenders in coverage and zone blitzing. He was a little too quick on his deep balls, but he made some truly remarkable throws in that game and the offense put up 30 points. Then 4 days later he faced a blitz crazy Giants defense that gave him no time to throw and the offense put up 30 points. 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1705060969909719514[/tweet]

How do you defend this guy? You give him a little bit of time trying to confuse him and he picks you apart with his  understanding of zone coverages against passing concepts and how to fit the ball in tight windows. You heat him up and he finds answers against man coverage and is accurate in the screen game. If you force short throws, you have to worry about receivers racking up yards after the catch, as they bulldoze defenders. Then on top of that you have to stop a potent run game with arguably the most unstoppable RB in the NFL.

Again, there is a reason the Niners are now Super Bowl favorites.