Judgements XII

 By Clark Judge 

Nick Bosa
Credit: Fox Sports and NFL Game Pass

With a nationally televised demolition of Green Bay, Philadelphia underscored why it’s the team to beat in the NFC. But let’s be honest, people: The conference will be a wide-open race to the finish.

The Eagles will be there. So will Minnesota and Dallas. And that’s not all.

The San Francisco 49ers aren’t just the best team in the NFC West; they’re one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They won their last four, passed Seattle in the division and have playmakers galore on offense – like Deebo Saumuel … and George Kittle … and Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and Jimmy Garoppolo.

But it’s not the offense that makes the 49ers such a tough out. It’s the defense. It’s tough, violent and fast. Plus, like the other side of the ball, it has a litany of playmakers … like Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga.

It also has a litany of accomplishments. San Francisco leads lead the league in total defense, leads the league in run defense and leads the league in fewest points allowed. But, best of all, it’s getting better as the season grows longer.

Over the last four games, the 49ers allowed an average of 10 points per game, outscored opponents 57-0 in the second half and just produced their first shutout of the season, a 13-0 defeat of New Orleans.

It ended a streak of 332 straight games where the Saints weren’t blanked.

“I like what I’m seeing from the 49ers right now,” said Hall-of-Fame coach and NBC analyst Tony Dungy.

So do I. They’re a run-heavy team that can beat you with the pass, stifle you with their defense and outmuscle you on both sides of the lines of scrimmage. Plus, they’re starting to run the table. In short, they’re a lot like the 2019 49ers that wound up in Super Bowl LIV.

I know, they lost to Chicago, Denver and Atlanta. But that was then, and this is now … and now they’re on a roll. All that’s needed is a signature victory, and they have that opportunity next week. They play Miami, and they’re an early 3-1/2-point favorite.

Philadelphia is the logical favorite to win the NFC, but don’t sleep on San Francisco. The 49ers have all their bases covered.

SUNDAY SCHOOL: FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED

1.       Taylor Heinicke is the Commander in Chief. All he’s done is win five of his six starts and pull the Commanders … yes, the Washington Freakin’ Commanders … into the middle of the playoff race. But now the road turns sharply uphill: Their last five games are vs. opponents that ae a combined 33-22 (including the 7-4 Giants twice).

2.       Cincinnati won’t go away. The Bengals have a brutal schedule down the stretch, but they just checked Tennessee off the list … beating the Titans and doing it without Ja’Marr Chase. They’ve won seven of their last nine and are tied with Baltimore atop the AFC North. But that’s where things get sticky. The Ravens don’t play an opponent with a winning record until Week 18 (Cincinnati), while the Bengals have games remaining vs. Kansas City, Tampa Bay, New England and Buffalo.

3.       Trevor Lawrence just took a giant step forward. Finally, mercifully, he looked like the quarterback Jacksonville chose first in the 2021 draft. Producing his best game as a pro, he led the Jags to a last-minute upset of Baltimore – completing 29 of 37 for 321 yards, three TDs and a game-winning two-point conversion. Biggest difference between this year and last? Coaching. A year ago, it was Urban Meyer. Now it’s Doug Pederson.

4.       The Jets may have found their quarterback. Mike White, come on down. For the second time in four NFL starts, he threw for over 300 yards and three TDS. More important, he led the Jets to a victory. If the season were to end today, the Jets would be in the playoffs for the first time in 12 seasons. Their defense is stellar. Their quarterback … not so much. Until now.

5.       It doesn’t matter who wins the NFC South. It’s supposed to be Tampa Bay, but who cares? The division stinks. Nobody is over .500, and Tampa Bay just lost to Cleveland. Cleveland. Last-place Carolina is a mess, running through its head coach and three quarterbacks. Yet at 4-8, the Panthers are only a game out of first.

THIRD AND 20

1.       Tell me again: Why did the Raiders think it was a good idea not to pick up a fifth-year option on Josh Jacobs? All he did Sunday was produce 303 yards from scrimmage and score the game-winning TD on an 86-yard blast up the middle.

2.       Yes, those were chants of “MVP, MVP” in Miami Sunday, and there’s a reason: Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa belongs in the conversation. The guy quarterbacks a first-place team, leads the league in passer rating and has 19 TDs and only 3 interceptions. In all likelihood, the award comes down to Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, with Mahomes the frontrunner. But don’t forget Tua.

3.       Nope, this is not the time to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. They won their last 26 games in November and December. Next victim: Cincinnati.

4.       The line score says the Bengals’ Joe Burrow beat Tennessee with a 27 yard TD pass to Tee Higgins, but that’s not entirely accurate. The Bengals’ defense won it, holding Derrick Henry to 38 yards rushing, holding him to zero or minus yards on seven of his 17 carries. Henry has failed to reach 100 yards in his last three games.

5.       The only quarterback worth watching in Houston is the one the Texans take with the first pick of the 2023 draft.

6.       The NFC East is a combined 32-13. The AFC East is 29-15. Neither has a losing team. Horace Greeley was wrong. Go East, young man.

7.       Shame on Tampa Bay. The Bucs just lost tackle Tristan Wirfs to an injury that never should’ve happened. Reason: The game had no business going to OT. Someone please tell Todd Bowles that timeouts are meant to be used, especially when Tom Brady has the ball. The Bucs kept Cleveland in this one and wound up beating themselves.

8.       Memo to Denver’s new management: You might look into Allstate for help. It claims to “better protect you from Mayhem,” which is crippling your football team. The coaching stinks. The quarterback stinks. Nobody can score. Fans are miserable. Next week is another rock bottom waiting to happen. Take my advice.

9.       The more New Orleans loses, the more Philadelphia wins. The Eagles own the Saints’ 2023 first-round draft choice, currently seventh overall.

10.   Sorry, Dallas, but the Cowboys don’t need OBJ. They need to rely more on their running game, less on the forward pass.

11.   Twelve weeks into the season, and the Ravens are still blowing fourth-quarter leads … only now to Jacksonville … and, yeah, that’s a concern.

12.   Melvin Gordon, consider yourself lucky. The Broncos just dealt you a Get Out of Jail card.

13.   Green Bay rookie Christian Watson is a load, scoring six times in the past three weeks. My only question: Why did it take the Packers so long to wake up to him?

14.   Hard not to like Tennessee’s Mike Vrabel … except when he defies common sense. That happened Sunday when Vrabel called for a field goal in the fourth quarter vs. Cincinnati. Down 20-13, the Titans were sitting on a fourth and-5at the Cincinnati 20 with just over six minutes left. That’s when Vrabel called for a field goal … when a field goal wouldn’t help. No matter if Tennessee made the kick – which it did – it still needed a TD to win. Sadly, the Titans never had a chance. Cincinnati held the ball the last six minutes.

15.   There is no reason for Matthew Stafford to return this season. The Rams can’t run, can’t block and don’t have Cooper Kupp. So find out what you have in Bryce Perkins and let Stafford work on those “Pizza, Pizza” audibles at home.

16.   Matt Rhule goes 11-27 at Carolina and doesn’t last three seasons. So what happens? He gets a reported eight-year, $72 million deal to coach Nebraska. What a great country.

17.   Only one question left for Green Bay at this point: Will the Packers admit the obvious – namely, that the season is kaput -- and take a long, hard look at Jordan Love? We caught a glimpse Sunday night. Time to see more.

18.   About time the Chargers delivered with a late TD. Until the last minute Sunday, they found the end zone on only one of their previous 19 second-half possessions ... with Justin Herbert, no less.

19.   I don’t know if the Eagles’ 363 yards rushing (and average of 7.4 yard per carry) say more about them or Green Bay’s matador defense. What I do know is that Philadelphia’s offensive line is second to none.

20.    Two things I like about the Raiders’ Derek Carr 1) His toughness and 2) his play in OT. He’s 9-2 when games go to a fifth quarter.

SUNDAY’S GOLD JACKET STATS

n  The Jets’ Mike White has three TD passes in two of his four NFL starts. Zach Wilson has none in 20.

n  According to Elias Sports Bureau, Jalen Hurts’ 103 first-quarter yards rushing were the most single-quarter rushing yards by a quarterback over the last 45 years. His 157 yards rushing for the game are also the most ever by an Eagles’ quarterback , breaking Michael Vick’s record of 130 set in 2010.

n  DeSean Jackson has 50-yard receptions from 14 different quarterbacks.

n  When Justin Tucker’s 67-yard field goal fell short Sunday, it ended a streak of 65 consecutive field goals made in the fourth quarter or overtime. He hadn’t missed one since 2015.

n  Carolina’s Sam Darnold wasn’t sacked for only the third time in his 51 NFL starts.

n  According to NFL Research, Washington has the time-of-possession advantage in every one of Taylor Heinicke’s six starts this season.

SUNDAY’S GOLD JACKET QUOTES

n  “He made the easy look easy.” – Jets’ coach Robert Saleh on quarterback Mike White.

n  “This is the kind of game that great teams win.” – Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow on Sunday’s win.

n  “We got lackadaisical out there.” – Baltimore linebacker Justin Houston on the loss to Jacksonville.

n  “In the end, they just made the plays, and we didn’t.” – Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady on the Bucs’ latest loss.

n  “I hope the Texans don’t cause Bryce Young to stay another year at Alabama.” – Tweet from former Houston Chronicle columnist John McClain.