This year, who wants to win?
The 2013 Super Bowl featured the San Francisco 49ers against the Baltimore Ravens. Ten years later, it appears that we could be headed in the same direction. Only two teams are performing to their full potential and seem to truly want to win consistently after 15 weeks of the regular season have passed. The key question is “why.”
This season, the league is home to many very outstanding clubs. As many as eight different teams might be considered to be among the NFL’s best, with the Cowboys, Eagles, Bills, Chiefs, Lions, and Dolphins among those who can legitimately call themselves great players this season. But only San Francisco and Baltimore can claim to have a record that supports their status as the greatest club in the league, free of any peculiar flaws.
What distinguishes the two teams? Why is the industry having trouble? Is a rematch of Super Bowl XLVII truly in the works?
The San Francisco 49ers
Key stats:
- 1st in the NFL in passing offense
- 3rd in the NFL in rushing offense
- 1st in the NFL in passing defense
Not only has Kyle Shanahan deciphered the contemporary NFL’s code, but he wrote it as well. He has the ideal system quarterback in Brock Purdy, who can be an extension of his teaching on the field. His distinctive West Coast offense version has shown to be hard to defend in the passing game.
This diverse offense breaks up a WCO’s usual rhythmic, quick-read passing with long throws to destroy overcommitted defense that tries to halt run-after-catch passes to running back Christian McCaffrey or to the flats.
Shanahan’s astute choice to bring in a defensive coordinator from outside the club instead of promoting DeMeco Ryans, who was hired away by the Texans, is what truly elevates the 2023 Niners to the top. After an outstanding tenure as the Carolina Panthers’ interim head coach the previous season, Steve Wilks joined the 49ers as their defensive coordinator. He instantly applied his experience as a secondary genius to the team’s already excellent squad.
As a consequence, the team more brutal against opposing quarterbacks, intercepting more passes and sacking them more frequently, and has allowed 0.6 fewer yards per reception. Wilks has improved an already excellent group to even greater heights.
The Baltimore Ravens
Key stats:
- 1st in the NFL in yards-per-attempt allowed
- 1st in the NFL in points allowed
- 1st in the NFL in rushing offense
If you give Lamar Jackson weapons, it turns out he can be really darn excellent. GUESS WHAT? The Ravens’ offense is essentially the same as it has always been, but on a higher plane. With almost 3,000 passing yards, Jackson leads the team in running with 741 yards and five touchdowns. This is still the Lamar Jackson show.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers have made a difference in 2023. Particularly Flowers, who leads the squad in receiving yards, the two newcomers to the offense are producing enormous returns. He’s on track to surpass tight end Mark Andrews in yards as a rookie, becoming the first wide receiver for Baltimore to do it since Marquise Brown in 2020. The Ravens’ offensive variety and increased completeness as a team have resulted from their ability to extend the field.
This club is also quite formidable defensively. With 12.0 sacks in 2023, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike has been on a roll. When he lines up at EDGE with Jadaveon Clowney (7.5 sacks), opposition quarterbacks’ pocket collapses frequently. This defense, which has two outstanding inside linebackers in Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith, is methodical, well-thought-out, and effective.
And what about everybody else?
Consistency is the problem when comparing these two teams to the rest of the NFL. Despite some stupid defeats (the 49ers to the Vikings and the Ravens to the Steelers), San Francisco and Baltimore have generally performed better, winning the games they should have and competing well in the ones that are close.
The rest of the top tier is not comparable. The Chiefs will be more exposed than necessary until they get a superior wide receiver than Kadarius Toney, the Dolphins have yet to defeat a club with a winning record, and the Cowboys, Lions, Eagles, and Bills all have a history of losing concentration and blowing games they should win.
This puts us in a position where either of these teams may win in the postseason, but as of right now, the Niners and Ravens are the only two clubs who seem truly cohesive.
Do we have a Super Bowl rematch coming up?
Still much too soon to say. Though we all know it doesn’t really mean anything, these two teams are the NFL’s best throughout the regular season on paper. It’s hard to see anybody winning the NFC unless they play perfect football and push the 49ers into mistakes. San Francisco is a formidable opponent.
It’s a little different story with the AFC. It’s possible if the Chiefs or Bills play to their fullest ability, which is a bit of a tossup, and in that case the Ravens may find it difficult in a shootout.
If you’re a fan of San Francisco or Baltimore right now, things appear to be going great, and if not, these are the clubs you should aim to be like.