A Four Verts Thanksgiving: Gratitude for 49ers' offensive nirvana, Jets' and Giants' communal losing and more
Happy Thanksgiving from your favorite weekly NFL column. As is the case for everyone who has a modicum of perspective on their own life, this is a great time to reflect on things we’re thankful for in the NFL.
From an NFC title contender returning to form to a trip down memory lane, there’s a lot to love around this time of year.
49ers' offense at the peak of its powers
One of the greatest moments in football is when a great offense filled with great players is able to catch absolute fire and allow everyone to play at the best of their abilities. There are a lot of talented teams, when healthy, this year, but none pairs star power with transcendent play-calling and orchestrating quite like the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have built a juggernaut on offense and lucked into a good, young quarterback, with Brock Purdy developing into one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league.
The game they had against the Buccaneers on Sunday was every "Madden" player’s dream. Purdy threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns on just 25 passing attempts. Only four 49ers caught a pass, but they were the right 49ers: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers averaged a whopping 7.1 yards per play and didn’t turn the ball over. That’s about as good as it gets in terms of just running through the defense without giving the ball back to the opposition.
It’s not just the numbers that are overwhelming. Watching this offense work in unison is one of the prettiest things in the sport. Shanahan has a sixth sense on how to call plays, routinely leaving his receivers wide open in the middle of the field, where they can safely catch a pass in stride. McCaffrey has become the most devastating version of himself in this offense. Every blade of grass is maximized, and the defense gets stretched into too many different directions throughout the game. At some point, the 49ers are going to break you — and it looks like they’re returning to form at the right time.
The 49ers lost three straight games heading into the bye, casting doubt on the team's overall talent. Those doubts should've disappeared after the past two weeks. The Niners beat the Jaguars and Buccaneers by a combined score of 51-17, and Purdy has thrown for six touchdowns with a near perfect passer rating of 157.3 in those two games. Right back where they needed to be heading into a divisional game against the Seahawks on Thursday night and a big showdown against the Eagles on Dec. 3.
This version of the 49ers is the scariest team in the league. The overall talent paired with the scheme is so overwhelming that most teams have no shot to stop it. It’s football nirvana, which is something we should all be thankful for at this time of year. To truly cherish everything they’re accomplishing and trying to accomplish this year, just stay clear of the Purdy-for-MVP discussions. Watch the games and enjoy.
Kyler Murray not losing an ounce of speed
People can debate where Kyler Murray ranks in the NFL quarterback hierarchy and if he spends too much time playing video games, but no one can argue that this guy isn’t one of the most fun and electrifying players in the league. Murray has played in two games this season after returning from an ACL injury, and he looks like he hasn’t lost a step. The passing game is still coming along for him and the rest of the offense, but athletically, he has resumed his role as one of the most fearsome and unpredictable ball carriers in the league.
In his first game back against the Falcons, Murray had a trademark scramble on which he found himself deep in the backfield facing a huge loss, but he turned on the jets and hit a crucial first down that helped his team secure the win. The first time players get back on the field for live reps after a serious knee injury, they exist in an uncertain space of not knowing exactly how they’re going to fare compared to their peers. Breaking news: Murray is still fast, and he’s still tough to track down once he gets moving.
Beyond being thankful for Murray’s health, it’s always fun to watch players who are able to find success in unconventional manners. Even the other mobile quarterbacks in the league don’t dare attempt some of the maneuvers Murray has become known for — for better and worse. The high-risk style can leave Murray open to some big hits that hurt the Cardinals, but at the same time, that’s what makes watching him so enjoyable. The viewer never knows what’s going to happen next.
Time will tell if Murray stays on as the Cardinals’ long-term quarterback with them projected to have a top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but for now, he’s back making defenders dive after air and attempting trick-shot passes down the field. This a huge plus for Murray, fans of the NFL and the NFL itself.
New York football teams fostering a culture for football follies
The Giants and Jets are beautiful creatures that need to be cherished while the season is still here. Incompetence and bad play can be frustrating and boring sometimes, but there should be a space to appreciate the calamities for what they are — and the Giants and Jets sure have been calamities this season. The New York teams based in New Jersey are a reminder that it can always get worse and that there’s humor to be found in the NFL sewer.
When these two teams met, they were already diminished versions of the rosters they put together in the offseason. The Giants were missing Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor, while the Jets were down two quarterbacks considering they lost Aaron Rodgers for the season and decided to give Zach Wilson the keys to the backup job. The Jets needed a last-second field goal to push the game into overtime to beat the Giants, who finished with minus-9 passing yards for the entire game. Minus-9 passing yards!
Since that fateful day when the New Jersey rivalry series played its latest chapter, the Giants and Jets have walked in lockstep toward misery as the season enters the final month and a half. Jones was officially lost for the year due to a torn ACL, and Wilson stacked so many poor performances that Robert Saleh was forced to bench him against the Bills. Tim Boyle is the starting quarterback for the Jets for the remainder of the season (for now). Boyle threw for one touchdown and 13 interceptions in three seasons at UConn before transferring to Eastern Kentucky. The Giants have turned the keys over to undrafted rookie and local legend Tommy DeVito, who somehow threw for three touchdowns in their most recent win over the Commanders. That was a huge first step for DeVito as far as his NFL career is concerned because he looked beyond overmatched prior to that.
In a season that started with high expectations for both teams, it’s just too perfect that these teams harmoniously ended up where they’ve resided the past few years — and the best part is the hope train will start driving again immediately after the season is over. The Jets will get Rodgers back from injury and very well might be breaking in a new coaching staff and front office. The Giants took a step back this week with their win, but they’re still in good (bad) shape to end up with a pick high enough to select Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.
And the cycle continues. It has been a tough run for both of these teams, but at least they’re getting to do it together. That’s what holidays and community are about.
The last era of quarterbacks during a down season for offense
The NFL is currently in a bit of a transition period. Offense is down through a litany of injuries and defenses becoming more accustomed to defending the current era of football. The NFL is also undergoing a facelift at the game's most important position. A handful of newer, younger quarterbacks have already made their imprint on the league and figure to be titans of the position for the foreseeable future, but the previous group of quarterbacks retiring and moving onto their post-football lives has made one undeniable truth more readily apparent by the week: Playing quarterback in the NFL is very, very hard.
Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and other quarterbacks who defined the 2010s are gone. Aaron Rodgers is (most likely) out for the season due to a torn Achilles and won’t play again until he’s 40 years old. Russell Wilson is on the upswing this season, but he hasn’t been playing at the level that made him a superstar in Seattle. Even the quality stopgap quarterbacks such as Ryan Fitzpatrick, Alex Smith and Nick Foles have moved on. There was a huge pool of veteran quarterback talent to lean on that isn’t quite there now as the league goes through a renaissance at the position.
This isn’t to complain about where the league is with quarterback or offense right now — watching the different styles of QB in the NFL paired with how creative defenses have become is a great experience for people who still like the overall sport instead of only touchdowns. This is a moment of appreciation for how those guys raised the bar of what we expect from the sport at its highest level.
Just think about who has replaced some of these guys. Tom Brady was followed by Mac Jones in New England and the combination of Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask in Tampa Bay. The Saints have trotted out Jameis Winston, Ian Book and Derek Carr since Drew Brees called it a career. Atlanta has chased the ghost of Matt Ryan with Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinecke. The Steelers are wading through the swamp with Kenny Pickett, and the Giants are on track to draft a new franchise quarterback to replace Daniel Jones, who took over for franchise legend Eli Manning just a few years ago.
It’s hard out here! It’s hard to find the guys who can execute all the things a quarterback needs to do at such a high level. This current crop of NFL fans has been lucky to see the wisdom and experience of that class of NFL quarterbacks, paired with the explosion of youth and athleticism that the new guard brought. Now that they’re out the door, it’s going to take a little bit of time to restock the quarterback talent in the league. That’s just the nature and cycle of professional sports.
Shout out to the old heads. They paved the way for the league to grow into the behemoth that it is today. Let’s give them some thanks for their efforts and their inadvertent impact on the 2023 NFL season. This first beer on the holiday is dedicated to the past.
