The San Francisco 49ers are the NFL's last remaining undefeated team thanks to the Baltimore Ravens knocking off the New England Patriots on Sunday night. Their perfect 8-0 record has forced skeptics to begin taking the Kyle Shanahan-led squad seriously.
Maybe the 49ers are the real deal.
We'll find out if that's the case in the coming weeks. San Francisco still has two games against the Seattle Seahawks, another matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, and battles with the Ravens, Green Bay Packers, and New Orleans Saints on the schedule.
Jim Rome believes that, despite their perfect record, the 49ers might still be underrated. He discussed the topic following San Francisco's Thursday night victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
"I can't recall the last time an 8-0 team got so little respect," Rome said on Friday. "The last time an 8-0 team had so many people saying, 'Yeah, but...'
"Like, yeah, they're undefeated, but who have they played? Yeah, well, they've played everybody on their schedule. That's who. That's all they can do. That's all anybody can do, and they've beaten everybody.
"Yeah, they're undefeated, but they're a defense-first football team. You're right, and that's a bad thing? I mean, have you seen that defense?"
Rome points out that even when the defense isn't playing like the top unit that it is, as it did not against the Cardinals, the team still finds a way to win.
Rome even points out the standard the team has for itself, evident by how Richard Sherman assessed the defense's performance against Arizona. You would have thought the 49ers had lost the game by how critical the veteran cornerback was about his unit's outing, including his own performance.
"That's a really hungry team," Rome continued. "That's a motivated and driven team."
Then some question the offense's weapons in the passing game. Rome points out that the team still has Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle and added wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who racked up 112 receiving yards against the Cardinals and has hauled in a touchdown in each of his games with the 49ers.
"Yeah, but what about their QB1," is another argument that Rome addresses.
The expectation heading into the season was that, for the 49ers to be successful, Jimmy Garoppolo would have to put up numbers like those from his five starts in 2017. He hasn't had to do so because the defense has been so good, and the running game is among the best in the league.
But when the defense struggled on Thursday night, and Garoppolo had to step up, he did so to the tune of 317 passing yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
"In other words, when it mattered most, James G delivered," Rome said.
Added Rome: "They're 8-0, and they're fueling up like they're 4-4. And they're not looking for your respect. They're just going to rip it from you."
H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.
Comments