Sunday brought a clash of NFC favorites together where the San Francisco 49ers crushed the Dallas Cowboys, but plenty more was learned from teams around the conference.
Here are our takes on five things that stood out to us this weekend.
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- San Francisco Will Run Away With Super Bowl
Overreaction or Accurate Reaction? Overreaction
I get it; we all saw the San Francisco 49ers obliterate the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, but I’m struggling to convincingly place them as the best team in football right now. Sure, they deservingly should be atop all power rankings this week, but I don’t think we should be handing them the Lombardi Trophy like many people in the media do. Last night, I saw more of the Cowboys being downright atrocious than the 49ers being great. Brock Purdy may have had a four-touchdown showing that’s hard to dismiss, but I’m still struggling to envision him outdueling the likes of Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts in the postseason. There is still a long way to go, but I’ll say this all year: wait until December 3.
- Detroit is a Legit NFC Power
Overreaction or Accurate Reaction? Accurate Reaction
The Detroit Lions are fantastic. Simply put, they do everything well. Their offensive line is elite, paving the way for their decisive running game. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is maximizing what he has with Jared Goff and the passing attack, paving the way for him to become the head coach of whatever team has Caleb Williams next fall. Defensively, Aidan Hutchinson is bursting onto the scene and propelling the unit to another gear. They are running away with the NFC North, so as the likely No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff picture, they’ll be a tough out that will give San Francisco or Philadelphia everything they can handle.
- Carolina Will Regret Trading Up for Bryce Young
Overreaction or Accurate Reaction? Accurate Reaction
Through five weeks, the Carolina Panthers are the worst team in football. As the only 0-5 team remaining, it’s hard to debate that. Unfortunately, as they’re on track to land the first overall pick and the right to Caleb Williams, they don’t even own their selection, as they traded to land Bryce Young. Young looks brutal, and concern is mounting in Carolina as they not only traded away a haul of draft picks but also dealt away DJ Moore, who had 230 yards and three touchdowns on Thursday night. Young continuously throws poor interceptions, makes horrible reads, and looks physically out-matched compared to his competition. It’s hard to have confidence in Carolina in the future, so decades from now, we’ll look back on the Young trade as one of the worst in NFL history.
- The Saints Will Win the NFC North
Overreaction or Accurate Reaction? Overreaction
The New Orleans Saints had the most lopsided Week 5 victory as they blanked the New England Patriots 34-0 on the road. It was the best effort they put together thus far, and now they find themselves in a packed NFC North where they’re the betting favorite to win the division. While New Orleans looked impressive on Sunday, I believe the blowout had much more to do with the Patriots looking incompetent than the Saints looking like a juggernaut. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers crushed the Saints, and the Atlanta Falcons’ style of play favors them in a potential matchup. Don’t get carried away by the blowout; the Saints still have a long way to go.
- Philadelphia, not San Francisco, Will Take the No. 1 Seed in the NFC
Overreaction or Accurate Reaction? Accurate Reaction
As the NFL community continues to gush over the San Francisco 49ers being the greatest thing since sliced bread, the Philadelphia Eagles also find themselves 5-0 and in position to repeat as NFC champions again. Even though people are trying to dismiss the Eagles’ wins, saying that they haven’t passed the eye test, doesn’t it say something about a team still being 5-0 despite a lackluster start? This team knows how to win. They’re well-coached, absolutely dominant in the trenches, and have the surrounding talent to maintain one of the NFL’s premier teams. Plus, they dominated the 49ers last postseason and won’t lack confidence when they return to Philadelphia on December 3.
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