Trent Williams asserts that his San Francisco 49ers are the best team in the NFL, and after Sunday's beatdown of the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, it's hard to argue with the big man.
Most felt the two teams were closely matched heading into the Week 13 showdown, a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game. What did we learn from the contest? While the Eagles are good, San Francisco may have declared to the league that they are a different class of team.
Last season, the Eagles came out on top, advancing to the Super Bowl, but the injury to quarterback Brock Purdy left lingering questions. This time around, fans got a glimpse of what might have been after a confident Niners squad outperformed the Eagles in every way.
Josina Anderson of CBS Sports labeled it a redemption game, prompting Williams to respond, "I wouldn't call it redemption. Last year was last year; more power to them. They won that game. This game today was all about just us showing the world where we sit when it comes to the hierarchy in [the] NFL. Last year is last year. We didn't have a quarterback. You're supposed to win that game, but we want to just prove to the world that we are one of the better teams."
1-on-1 #49ers OT Trent Williams on the message sent after winning the NFCCG rematch: "This game was about showing where we sit when it comes to the hierarchy in the NFL.."
Jojo: "…And where's that?"
Trent: "I think we are at the top."
Jojo: "I think?"
Trent: "I know." pic.twitter.com/tGdldpcESa
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) December 4, 2023
The 49ers did have a quarterback this time. Purdy completed 19 of his 27 pass attempts (70.4 percent) for 314 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 148.8 passer rating while guiding the 49ers to a decisive 42-19 victory. The second-year passer is now firmly entrenched in the conversation for league MVP and is currently favored to win the annual honor.
Eagles players (and fans) weren't happy with the 49ers' offseason chatter, declaring that last season's NFC title game was not a fair assessment of how the two teams stack up against one another.
"I mean, we both like two people in court, right? Everybody's got their side of the story," Williams told Anderson after the game. "The reality is, when we have a quarterback, we're a pretty good team, and I think we proved that today."
When asked about the 49ers' standing in the NFL hierarchy, Williams left no room for ambiguity, declaring, "I think we're at the top," before correcting himself, saying, "I know [we're at the top]."