Fansided

The 49ers might be legitimate Super Bowl contenders

By Kevin Parvizi

TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 08: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers gives a thumbs up during warm-up before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 08: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers gives a thumbs up during warm-up before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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The San Francisco 49ers entered Week 6 as the only undefeated team in the NFC, and they proved that they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders by thoroughly dispatching last year’s NFC Champions.

While the Los Angeles Rams don’t look like the same team that outclassed every other team in the NFC last season, the San Francisco 49ers still made quite the statement in Week 6 when they dominated the Rams 20-7.

That blowout victory over the Rams came just six days after the 49ers dumped the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, winning that game 31-3. Their Week 6 victory is just the latest impressive win in what’s been an impressive season for Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers, who have made quite the turnaround from their injury-plagued 2018 campaign.

Following this 20-7 win over Los Angeles, the 49ers are still the only undefeated team in the NFC. Moreover, only Tom Brady and the New England Patriots can say that they are also undefeated in the NFL, and they haven’t been tested to half the extent that the 49ers have.

The Niners have defeated quality teams in the Browns and Rams in back-to-back weeks, showing that their earlier victories over the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t examples of a mediocre team padding wins against lowly competition.

There is nothing mediocre about these 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo looks like a legitimate franchise quarterback, buoyed by a deep stable of running backs and an effective group of pass-catchers. More importantly, the 49ers defense gives them staying power, as they embarrassed Sean McVay and Jared Goff, who averaged just 3.3 yards per pass attempt. Even Marcus Mariota posted a better mark than that, and he was benched.

Jimmie Ward and Richard Sherman give the 49ers star power in the secondary, and they are aided by offseason signing Kwon Alexander at linebacker. But what should really scare offenses is the 49ers defensive line, which contains a long list of capable players. The best of the bunch recorded sacks on Sunday, with offseason steal Dee Ford leading the way by taking down Goff 1.5 times.

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Although the NFC West is a tough division that houses last season’s conference champions and likely 2019 MVP Russell Wilson, who carried the Seattle Seahawks on his back to the playoffs last season, San Francisco look like the unquestioned best team.

And honestly, that might go for the NFC as a whole. The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers are Super Bowl contenders with elite quarterbacks and staying power, but maybe it’s time to think of the 49ers as being on their level. After all, just look at how easily they defeated the Browns and Rams, who both have playoff aspirations of their own, in back-to-back weeks.