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Well it feels like a quarter of the season is done as we all know towards the end of the season the last two games sometimes become walk throughs and some teams have a lot to play for as opposed some have nothing to play for. Where the league stands at this point

10 Teams with a winning record
12 Teams at 500 (4 of them in the AFC south)
10 Teams with a losing record:
So I ask this?

Biggest Surprise/Shock this season thus far( maybe one or two)?

Biggest Letdown/Disappointment this season thus far( maybe one or two)?

Most interesting topic this season thus far?

My biggest surprise so far is how the ratings have gone up due to one "star" attending a game or two who may or may not be attached to KC's Kelce. He doesn't seem to care. NFL got the Largest TV audience in a decade and how much that translated to sales of football items and 'new' young fans. Millions of additional $$$$ split between the NFL and the NFLPA. The business side of the NFL is fascinating.

I'm not really disappointed with anything at this point. The teams that are healthy at QB are winning. Those that don't have one are losing. Nothing new there.

The most interesting topic may be as the season moves ahead, the race for SC's QB and the fact that there are up to 8 decent qB's that may go in the first round this coming year. I wonder how many teams will outwardly try to tank starting about 1/2 way through.
Strangely, AZ doesn't seem to be heading in that direction.

All in all, I'm liking this year so far.

That is funny the most press this season has been dedicated to the Kelce-Swift possible romance. Her fans are devoted.

jshawaii22 wrote:My biggest surprise so far is how the ratings have gone up due to one "star" attending a game or two who may or may not be attached to KC's Kelce. He doesn't seem to care. NFL got the Largest TV audience in a decade and how much that translated to sales of football items and 'new' young fans. Millions of additional $$$$ split between the NFL and the NFLPA. The business side of the NFL is fascinating.

I'm not really disappointed with anything at this point. The teams that are healthy at QB are winning. Those that don't have one are losing. Nothing new there.

The most interesting topic may be as the season moves ahead, the race for SC's QB and the fact that there are up to 8 decent qB's that may go in the first round this coming year. I wonder how many teams will outwardly try to tank starting about 1/2 way through.
Strangely, AZ doesn't seem to be heading in that direction.

All in all, I'm liking this year so far.

The Kelce-Swift romance is truly laughable. Social media was going nuts when Kelce left the stadium following the Jets game without Swift, but it was a road game, and he was traveling with the team.

I'm liking the season, too, and yes, teams seem to be sorting themselves out based on QB performances, specifically the bad ones, like the Bears, Jets, and Giants.

I am surprised to see the Bucs with a winning record, and that Baker rated on average around the league at 7th, 6th on QBR and 8th over all in QB Rating. I really thought the Bucs would take a step back with Baker at the helm.

My biggest disappointment is actually big time praise to a certain player, but disappointing from a Hawk's point of view. I am so disappointed to see Brock Purdy being so efficient and I was one of those waiting for him to come down to to earth. However, after watching him play now for about qtr of a season and how he finished last season... I think it's safe to say he is no one hit wonder or fluke, and the kid can flat out play. I almost have to start thinking he can actually be an elite player. And what really sucks!! This gives the 49ers the next 3 to 4 years to allocate big money to other positions and make SB runs year after year. I hate the fact that he is this good so quickly, and isn't putting up crazy numbers but being damn efficient.

Purdy is a good to very good QB who hasn't had to put a team on his back and carry them to a win - because the 49ers are so talented all through their lineup. He's also the beneficiary of a great HC who has developed a very QB friendly Offense from which a QB can learn. Combine that with great talent on Offense around him and Purdy should do real well in SF.

If there is one team I want to show we've closed the gap on, it's the 49ers.

They're looking pretty good so far so I'm not sure we will close that gap this year.
The Cowboys game should be interesting to see how their Offense does against a good Defense from Dallas.

NorthHawk wrote:They're looking pretty good so far so I'm not sure we will close that gap this year.
The Cowboys game should be interesting to see how their Offense does against a good Defense from Dallas.

Despite being undefeated, Philly hasn't been all that impressive, winning 3 of their 4 games by a TD or less, their last game going into OT against the same team that lost last night to the hapless Bears. The Cowboys have won big in their 3 wins but lost to one of the assumed worst teams in the Cards, and not by just a little. The Niners seem to me to have the fewest warts of the top 3.

The Eagles are winning ugly which is a good thing for them. If they get their act together, they will be a threat again this year.

In looking at the rest of the schedule, we have some real tough games and some teams that might surprise us.
The remaining games:
At Bengals
Cardinals
Browns
At Ravens
Commanders
At Rams
49ers
At Cowboys
At 49ers
Eagles
At Titans
Steelers
At Cardinals

The Cards can be a difficult team to evaluate. They played pretty well even in losing and beat the Cowboys. We should beat them twice but seem to always have a problem with them.
Ravens will be tough to beat on the road.
Rams might have our number.
49ers, Cowboys and Eagles will be real tough to win against.
The Titans are another one of those hit or miss teams where you don't know who is going to show up.

We could easily end the year with 9 more losses although I don't think that will happen. But I do think that it's a good possibility that we end up at 9-8 or thereabouts.

Divisional games are tough. 49'ers got us twice last year, first time in 11 years that has happened. Rams got us early this year, but we beat them twice in '22, they got us twice in '21, so they seem to be a tough match for us. We have beat Philly 6 straight times, but Hurts will make it tough. If we can manage a split with Rams and '49ers, we have a chance to win 11 or 12 games.

NorthHawk wrote:Purdy is a good to very good QB who hasn't had to put a team on his back and carry them to a win - because the 49ers are so talented all through their lineup. He's also the beneficiary of a great HC who has developed a very QB friendly Offense from which a QB can learn. Combine that with great talent on Offense around him and Purdy should do real well in SF.

Well KS had Jimmy G, Nick Mullins, Cj Beathard, Trey Lance, and now Brock. Everyone likes to say that is a product of great surrounding talent and a great system, and there is no question that both exist but it takes an exceptional QB to run this system and to make quick and accurate throws with limited time to make decisions. Why didn’t it work as for the previous bunch, none were household names other than Jimmy G, but it’s working because I believe Purdy is an excellent decision maker and is has an underrated arm talent.

Look at how much Shanahan got out of those QBs. They won more games than we would expect and haven't done much on any other team.
I think Purdy is a good QB, and better than those listed, but he hasn't faced much adversity that had to be overcome by going beyond what we've seen so far.
As far as Shanahan's Offense goes, you just have to look at what happened after he left Atlanta. Their Offense tanked and the SF Offense started to come to life. He's a great Offensive coach and seems to know how to get the most out of
his QBs and game plan for their strengths as well as against their weaknesses.

NorthHawk wrote:Look at how much Shanahan got out of those QBs. They won more games than we would expect and haven't done much on any other team.
I think Purdy is a good QB, and better than those listed, but he hasn't faced much adversity that had to be overcome by going beyond what we've seen so far.
As far as Shanahan's Offense goes, you just have to look at what happened after he left Atlanta. Their Offense tanked and the SF Offense started to come to life. He's a great Offensive coach and seems to know how to get the most out of
his QBs and game plan for their strengths as well as against their weaknesses.

I don't understand how Frisco is winning myself. It seems a well balanced team and enough at QB to win, but not necessarily enough to win it all.

Christian and Deebo are extremely versatile players, which allows some very unconventional play calling. They have a defense that can pin other teams down. I feel like if they lost Bosa for the season, their defense would feel very compromised. He's a huge game changer for them and let's that formula work.

Wow. SF sure looks dominant so far.
I hate to say it, but Purdy looks like a young Montana as he has a similar skill set. He's accurate and like Collinsworth kept saying processes real quick but doesn't have a cannon. We might have some problems for the next decade with Shanahan and Purdy on that team and with KS knowing how to get the most out of him. I still need to see how he handles not being in front and having to really lead the team a few times before he gets to the level of Montana, though.

NorthHawk wrote:Wow. SF sure looks dominant so far.
I hate to say it, but Purdy looks like a young Montana as he has a similar skill set. He's accurate and like Collinsworth kept saying processes real quick but doesn't have a cannon. We might have some problems for the next decade with Shanahan and Purdy on that team and with KS knowing how to get the most out of him. I still need to see how he handles not being in front and having to really lead the team a few times before he gets to the level of Montana, though.

I was just going to start a new thread about the Niners. They are far and away the best team in the league at this point in the season. Last night was a complete domination of a very good football team.

Purdy is undefeated as a starter in the regular season. The only game he lost was in the playoffs when he got hurt.

We don't play them until Thanksgiving then get them twice in 3 games. It's probably a good thing that we're not playing them early.

Judging from last night, I'm not sure it would matter when we played them. They don't seem to have many, if any weaknesses on either side of the ball.

NorthHawk wrote:Judging from last night, I'm not sure it would matter when we played them. They don't seem to have many, if any weaknesses on either side of the ball.

The odds of beating them the way they're playing now would seem very slim and can't be any worse than playing them in late November. The only team that has come close to beating them was the Rams, a divisional opponent, which should give us some hope.

Oh, and I like your analogy of Purdy looking like Joe Montana. Purdy has yet to throw a pick in 5 games. He doesn't have the gaudy stats or flashy play like a Tua or Josh Allen, but he has the highest passer rating with a 123.1, 11 points higher than the 2nd highest QB. He's the perfect QB for that team. Heck, the entire team has turned the ball over just twice this year.

NorthHawk wrote:Wow. SF sure looks dominant so far.
I hate to say it, but Purdy looks like a young Montana as he has a similar skill set. He's accurate and like Collinsworth kept saying processes real quick but doesn't have a cannon. We might have some problems for the next decade with Shanahan and Purdy on that team and with KS knowing how to get the most out of him. I still need to see how he handles not being in front and having to really lead the team a few times before he gets to the level of Montana, though.

Yeah he continues to disappointment me, I am very disappointed right now that the 49ers struck gold(no pun intended) with Purdy. If he continues at this pace he should be the league MVP with how efficient he is, and fast he can get through his reads. He probably won't get it because someone like Hurts of Mahomes would put up more stifling stats, but Purdy is a gem to watch. I hate him..

Montana was a 3rd round pick, still a bargain but Brady at 199th overall in the 6th is a better comp for Purdy. He looks to be that big a steal as Mr Irrelevant at #262.

Bosa seems like the bigger problem with Frisco. He anchors that defense and gives Frisco's offense lots of chances. Last time Bosa was out, Frisco went 6 and 10. Bosa is just a freak that overloads an offensive line and allows the surrounding defensive players to get opportunities. As long as Frisco's defense can keep people pinned and give the offense lots of opportunities, they can play loose and easy.

I'm not even certain they have a great secondary, but who needs one when Bosa is relentlessly rushing and needing two or more blockers to deal with him.

Just once before I'm dead I'd like to see Seattle get that insane D-line guy like that. Just a relentless machine of chaos that can bust into the backfield down after down after down and make life hell on QBs and opposing offenses.

In the Rookie D race, Phily's Jalen Carter and 'Hawks Witherspoon are #1 and 2 in the gambling lists. Any regrets for not drafting Carter? Considering what we knew then, no regrets from me, but others might claim we blew it.

jshawaii22 wrote:In the Rookie D race, Phily's Jalen Carter and 'Hawks Witherspoon are #1 and 2 in the gambling lists. Any regrets for not drafting Carter? Considering what we knew then, no regrets from me, but others might claim we blew it.

I've tempered from thinking we blew the pick to now merely preferring that we had taken Carter as he'd have addressed a greater need. Both look at this point to be great picks.

No regrets from me, though I think we still need to see how they both look at the end of the season. Rookies have ups and downs.

jshawaii22 wrote:In the Rookie D race, Phily's Jalen Carter and 'Hawks Witherspoon are #1 and 2 in the gambling lists. Any regrets for not drafting Carter? Considering what we knew then, no regrets from me, but others might claim we blew it.

It's pointless to compare Witherspoon and Carter, at least at this point. Carter fell into a near perfect situation, landing on a team that had gone to the Super Bowl the previous season, and of which already had a very, very good defense, ranked 2nd overall last year. Witherspoon, on the other hand, went to a team ranked 26th in total defense.

As I've said before, I don't care if Carter ends up in the HOF. Given what we knew about him at the time, the Hawks made the right call not to risk a #5 overall on a player with as many red flags as Carter had. I was perfectly happy with the selection when we made it and I have not seen anything, either out of Carter or Witherspoon, that would make me change my mind.

It's also become known that even at #9, the Eagles were also considering passing on him. But the composition of their team was such that they could afford to take a gamble with a top 10 pick.
Much more so than most teams drafting at that place.

NorthHawk wrote:It's also become known that even at #9, the Eagles were also considering passing on him. But the composition of their team was such that they could afford to take a gamble with a top 10 pick.
Much more so than most teams drafting at that place.

IMO it wasn't just the composition of their team, it was the fact that they were coming off a Super Bowl season and could afford the PR hit if Carter busted. Most of the other teams, like the Cards, Raiders, Falcons, and even our Hawks, were either brand new regimes or skating on thin ice with their owners and/or their fan base. Carter's red flags were so publicized that even the most casual of fans knew about them. It would have taken a real set of balls to draft him with their team's highest draft pick as every dime store GM would be second guessing them.

Yeah he continues to disappointment me, I am very disappointed right now that the 49ers struck gold(no pun intended) with Purdy. If he continues at this pace he should be the league MVP with how efficient he is, and fast he can get through his reads. He probably won't get it because someone like Hurts of Mahomes would put up more stifling stats, but Purdy is a gem to watch. I hate him..

As I said earlier in the thread, I need to see him when he's facing adversity. Well, yesterday he faced it an although he was able to put them in position to win with a FG, they didn't get the job done and Purdy didn't have a great day.
He has the tools to improve and I suspect this is a learning game for him, so once he understands how to pull off the comebacks (if he does) when some of the big pieces of their Offense are missing, he can become the real difference maker.