49ers one of the best teams in the league
- Thread starter p.ellz
- Start date
Three weeks ago, the 49ers had the league’s 30th-ranked rushing offense at 69.7 yards per game. Today, the 49ers are all the way up to No. 5, courtesy of Frank Gore surpassing the 100-yard rushing mark in three consecutive games. Gore had a season-high 141-yard rushing effort in Sunday’s 25-19 win over Detroit.
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At this point, barring major blows to depth, the 9ers have NO EXCUSE for finishing at the very least 12-4. They play the Rams 2X, the Cards 2X, and Seattle one more time. That is up to 10 wins in and of itself.
At least the 9ers prediction of "we will win this division" FINALLY came true after 7 years. Congrats.
At least the 9ers prediction of "we will win this division" FINALLY came true after 7 years. Congrats.
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1
6-0 PACKERS
Story of Green Bay's season: Backed up at their own seven yard-line in a 10-point game ... if the Rams get a stop, they'll have nice field position. Instead, Jordy Nelson caught a sideline pass and made two Rams defenders -- including Al Harris of all people -- look as athletic as Tommy Maddox. Ninety-three yards later, Nelson had a touchdown. I have a VHS tape of the Monday night game against the Bears where Robert Brooks caught a 99-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre. It's the same game where a Bears fan with a raging mullet jumps out of the stands (and into the tunnel) to catch an extra point. Pure greatness.
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2
5-1 PATRIOTS 2
Fox Sports announcer Thom Brennaman said "and the beat goes on for Tom Brady" after a touchdown pass during the broadcast of the Cowboys-Patriots game. Really? The offense hadn't been thwarted like it was by Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan all season. The Patriots resorted to going no-huddle for much of the game just to get things going. But give them, and specifically Brady, a heckuva lot of credit, for turning it on in the fourth quarter and winning a tough game that certainly wasn't the shootout we all expected it to be.
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3
4-1 RAVENS 2
If you're a follower of the Ravens, you have to be pleased with a couple of things you saw Sunday: 1. Joe Flacco taking vertical shots downfield, even without Lee Evans; and 2. Closing the door in the fourth quarter, something the Steelers had trouble doing vs. the Jaguars and the Cowboys haven't been able to do two games in a row.
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4
4-2 SAINTS 2
On the list of biggest surprises of Week 6, the Saints falling to the reeling Bucs has to trail only Shake-gate and the Eagles actually tackling somebody. Four turnovers will do that to you. Nothing spells relief like C-O-L-T-S, the Saints' Week 7 opponent.
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5
5-1 49ERS 4
Niners fans, that was a huge win, any way you slice it. The strength, again, was the defense and the running game. The latter provided 203 yards of real estate, with Frank Gore leading the way. Don't look now, but Gore, who had such a rough start to the season, has 393 yards rushing in the past three games. Wow.
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6
5-1 LIONS 3
That wasn't a dead fish Jim Harbaugh handed Jim Schwartz on Sunday. The Tom Cruise/alpha male slap on the back didn't go too well with the firm handshake. Still, the loss to the 49ers was good for Detroit. This team, if it's to have any hope in the playoffs, has to learn to make due offensively when teams scheme to take Calvin Johnson out of the game. I say that, and Megatron still had seven catches for 113 yards. What a quiet 100-yard game. Brandon Pettigrew could help matters by fighting for the ball occasionally.
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7
4-1 CHARGERS
Bye week in SoCal. The Chargers have scored 120 points and allowed 109. This club hasn't looked commanding at any point this season, but 4-1 is 4-1. Many Chargers fans probably kept a close eye on Cleveland-Oakland, knowing that the Raiders are the only thing standing in the way of another postseason berth. In case you're wondering, those two clubs face off Nov. 10 on NFL Network. Until then, the Bolts play at the Jets, at the resurgent Chiefs, and host the Packers. The AFC West might come down to Week 17, when the Chargers travel to -- you guessed it -- Oakland.
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8
4-2 BILLS 2
In many ways pro football is different in 2010 than it was 20 years ago, and in many ways it's the same. Interceptions can deep-six any decent team in any era, and the biggest numbers from Sunday's Bills-Giants matchup were the two interceptions for Ryan Fitzpatrick and none for Eli Manning. One led to the winning field goal in a game that was pretty evenly played.
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9
4-2 RAIDERS 1
Kyle Boller, it's your baby for now. Expect newly acquired Carson Palmer to start after the Raiders' Week 8 bye. The bounty Oakland paid was a lot of risk for an elusive reward. Unless Palmer gets this team to at least the AFC title game in the next couple of seasons, it's tough to justify the price tag. Keep in mind, that while the former Heisman Trophy winner was part of the solution in Cincinnati, his play was also part of the problem.
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10
4-2 STEELERS 2
Closer shave than you expected Steelers fans? The run defense continues to be up and down. Jacksonville put up 130 yards, despite not having any threats outside to force Pittsburgh into playing coverage. Bruce Arians' offense couldn't get it going in the second half, either. There's no question this team is not as consistent as it was last season and will struggle to catch Baltimore in the division race.
1
6-0 PACKERS
Story of Green Bay's season: Backed up at their own seven yard-line in a 10-point game ... if the Rams get a stop, they'll have nice field position. Instead, Jordy Nelson caught a sideline pass and made two Rams defenders -- including Al Harris of all people -- look as athletic as Tommy Maddox. Ninety-three yards later, Nelson had a touchdown. I have a VHS tape of the Monday night game against the Bears where Robert Brooks caught a 99-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre. It's the same game where a Bears fan with a raging mullet jumps out of the stands (and into the tunnel) to catch an extra point. Pure greatness.
RANK
2
5-1 PATRIOTS 2
Fox Sports announcer Thom Brennaman said "and the beat goes on for Tom Brady" after a touchdown pass during the broadcast of the Cowboys-Patriots game. Really? The offense hadn't been thwarted like it was by Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan all season. The Patriots resorted to going no-huddle for much of the game just to get things going. But give them, and specifically Brady, a heckuva lot of credit, for turning it on in the fourth quarter and winning a tough game that certainly wasn't the shootout we all expected it to be.
RANK
3
4-1 RAVENS 2
If you're a follower of the Ravens, you have to be pleased with a couple of things you saw Sunday: 1. Joe Flacco taking vertical shots downfield, even without Lee Evans; and 2. Closing the door in the fourth quarter, something the Steelers had trouble doing vs. the Jaguars and the Cowboys haven't been able to do two games in a row.
RANK
4
4-2 SAINTS 2
On the list of biggest surprises of Week 6, the Saints falling to the reeling Bucs has to trail only Shake-gate and the Eagles actually tackling somebody. Four turnovers will do that to you. Nothing spells relief like C-O-L-T-S, the Saints' Week 7 opponent.
RANK
5
5-1 49ERS 4
Niners fans, that was a huge win, any way you slice it. The strength, again, was the defense and the running game. The latter provided 203 yards of real estate, with Frank Gore leading the way. Don't look now, but Gore, who had such a rough start to the season, has 393 yards rushing in the past three games. Wow.
RANK
6
5-1 LIONS 3
That wasn't a dead fish Jim Harbaugh handed Jim Schwartz on Sunday. The Tom Cruise/alpha male slap on the back didn't go too well with the firm handshake. Still, the loss to the 49ers was good for Detroit. This team, if it's to have any hope in the playoffs, has to learn to make due offensively when teams scheme to take Calvin Johnson out of the game. I say that, and Megatron still had seven catches for 113 yards. What a quiet 100-yard game. Brandon Pettigrew could help matters by fighting for the ball occasionally.
RANK
7
4-1 CHARGERS
Bye week in SoCal. The Chargers have scored 120 points and allowed 109. This club hasn't looked commanding at any point this season, but 4-1 is 4-1. Many Chargers fans probably kept a close eye on Cleveland-Oakland, knowing that the Raiders are the only thing standing in the way of another postseason berth. In case you're wondering, those two clubs face off Nov. 10 on NFL Network. Until then, the Bolts play at the Jets, at the resurgent Chiefs, and host the Packers. The AFC West might come down to Week 17, when the Chargers travel to -- you guessed it -- Oakland.
RANK
8
4-2 BILLS 2
In many ways pro football is different in 2010 than it was 20 years ago, and in many ways it's the same. Interceptions can deep-six any decent team in any era, and the biggest numbers from Sunday's Bills-Giants matchup were the two interceptions for Ryan Fitzpatrick and none for Eli Manning. One led to the winning field goal in a game that was pretty evenly played.
RANK
9
4-2 RAIDERS 1
Kyle Boller, it's your baby for now. Expect newly acquired Carson Palmer to start after the Raiders' Week 8 bye. The bounty Oakland paid was a lot of risk for an elusive reward. Unless Palmer gets this team to at least the AFC title game in the next couple of seasons, it's tough to justify the price tag. Keep in mind, that while the former Heisman Trophy winner was part of the solution in Cincinnati, his play was also part of the problem.
RANK
10
4-2 STEELERS 2
Closer shave than you expected Steelers fans? The run defense continues to be up and down. Jacksonville put up 130 yards, despite not having any threats outside to force Pittsburgh into playing coverage. Bruce Arians' offense couldn't get it going in the second half, either. There's no question this team is not as consistent as it was last season and will struggle to catch Baltimore in the division race.
