In a League of Their Own

Week seven was heaven. While week eight fell nothing short of great. Now here, with week nine done and week ten here, only one remains to defend the undefeated line. Finally, after nine long and exciting weeks of football; we are left with one organization who have managed to remain perfect. What better team to stand alone than the San Francisco 49ers. Considering how much of a New England Patriots fan I truly am, that should come as a major compliment. Since their acquisition of Jimmy Garoppolo, it was clear the 49ers were in the business of piecing the major pieces together.

They certainly didn’t stop there as they signed defence standout Richard Sherman, elusive running back Tevin Coleman, and most recently traded for Emmanuel Sanders; all moves that solidify the notion of a championship run. Where this team has found true success (and quite frankly their most overlooked form of it) is in the draft. Matt Breida continues his growth in the backfield not only as a runner but as a passing option; which could help him make his case as an every down player. Nick Bosa is an absolute animal on the defensive line and causes offensive coaches nothing but headaches all game. The 22 year old already has 7 sacks on the year while adding an additional 1 forced fumble and 1 interception to his impressive rookie campaign. So if you think the coaches have it bad, just ask the opposing quarterbacks how they feel. Let’s not forget about George Kittle, the same way so many teams did before the 49ers selected him in his 2017 draft year (5th round 146th pick). Kittle is not only hands down the best Tight End in the game currently, but he could be one of the greatest draft stories since Tom Brady. His acceleration away from the defender is something almost unseen out of his position and makes it near impossible to maintain huge breakout plays.

But what does this picture really look like when the pieces are as put together as they currently are? One thing is certain; what the San Francisco organization have in front of them is nothing short of a masterpiece in the making. Some doubters may point out strength in schedule favours the 49ers; however with all the bad, comes the good. Sure they’ve seen Bengals, Redskins and even the Buccaneers already. They’ve also seen the defending NFC champions LA Rams and handed them a convincing lose in the Rams on backyard. The 49ers a week prior to that match up held a talented Browns offense off the board besides a field goal and provided my favourite celebration of the year (cheers Nick Bosa). Perhaps their most dominant they’ve been all season was against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8 when it seemed both sides of the ball for San Fran was certain to “get theirs”. Panthers are no walk over team, and the 49ers exploited weaknesses all game. San Francisco is not only winning the games they should, but showing up and out performing in the games they were supposed to lose.

I’m in no way defending a perfect season for the 49ers. To obtain that kind of success in today’s NFL is near impossible. The shear talent spread across all 32 teams creates almost insurmountable odds to win every game, all season long. Especially with the unstoppable object that appears to be Russel Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks flying in for a Monday night affair. What I am defending though is just how immovable the object (San Fran 49ers) is. How much better this team truly is. That no matter what team they hit the gridiron against; the 49ers should be deemed the favourites. They have successfully formed one of the most fearsome rosters each week and just may be in a league of their own.