There’s an age-old axiom in sports that comes to light when successful teams are criticized for not having played challenging opponents: “You can only play who’s on the schedule.’’
This is the plight of the undefeated 49ers, who at 8-0 are the most shocking story in the NFL this season.
The defense has been putting up great stingy numbers through half of the season, a lot like New England’s had before it got waxed last week by the Ravens.
Monday night at Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers face the 7-2 Seahawks and Russell Wilson, who will be the first so-called top-15 quarterback San Francisco will have faced this season.
Wilson is, in many people’s minds, the odds-on favorite to win MVP honors with his 118.2 passer rating and only one interception all season.
Wilson has carried his team on his shoulders, producing 25 touchdowns (22 passing, three rushing). Seattle’s problem has been its defense — ranked 22nd in points allowed, 25th in yards allowed, 24th in net passing yards allowed per attempt and 23rd in rushing yards allowed per attempt.
After Wilson, the 49ers’ defense still must face the Saints and Drew Brees, and the Packers and Aaron Rodgers in the second half of the season. And, in Week 17, the 49ers face Wilson and the Seahawks in Seattle.
So the sledding is getting tougher for the 49ers. Though the 49ers have a two-game lead on the Seahawks in the loss column, they still must face the two teams that beat Seattle — the Ravens and Saints — in back-to-back weeks in December.
The Seahawks, on the other hand, probably have to win this game if they’re to have any legitimate chance to win the NFC West. A loss would put them three games behind the 49ers in the loss column with six to play.
An interesting twist to the 49ers is the fact that, for as great as the team’s start has been, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been slow to win over some San Francisco fans, who view him merely as a game manager.
Yet Garoppolo has been clutch, particularly on third downs — when he has completed 47 of 65 passes for 494 yards, four TDs and one interception with a passer rating of 108.1. He also sealed last week’s win over the Cardinals with a terrific stretch of four-minute offense to close it out. Garoppolo was 13-of-15 for 160 yards with four TDs and no INTs on third and fourth downs against the Cardinals.
“That’s usually where quarterbacks earn their money,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
“He’s a guy who is the same all the time,” 49ers guard Mike Person told reporters of Garoppolo. “He’s level-headed, even-keeled, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him fazed.’’
San Francisco defensive tackle DeForest Buckner told reporters regarding the 49ers’ chances of continuing their undefeated run: “The ceiling is however high you want to make it.”
