It’s not surprising that the San Francisco 49ers are undefeated and running roughshod on the entire NFL. This is a roster rife with All-Pro talent, coached by Kyle Shanahan — perhaps pro football’s best sideline leader. Reaping and sowing sheer destruction is what the 49ers should be doing to everyone they play. (Micah Parsons might be the only one in denial.)
What is surprising is how far ahead of the pack they are.
We’re five weeks into the 2023 NFL season, and San Francisco has established a colossal chasm between itself and every other supposed Super Bowl contender. It’s genuinely not even close because they are leaps and bounds better than the competition.
The tale of the tape says as much (especially when they’re copying others’ tape). The 49ers are second in offensive expected points added (EPA) per play (only the potential record-setting Miami Dolphins are just ahead). They’re fifth in defensive EPA, with a few squads of them (see: the Dallas Cowboys they just dismantled) seemingly running on some semblance of smoke and mirrors. They have yet to score less than 30 points in a game and won by at least a two-score margin in all but one affair. Their +99 point differential is the largest by a 5-0 team in over five decades. Last but not least, dating back to the 2022 regular season, the 49ers have won 15 straight regular calendar games, tying a franchise record.
Put another way: San Francisco more or less picked up where it left off last season, while everyone else is stuck in neutral. The 49ers still have to finish the job in January (and February). But at this moment, anyway, all signs point to that outcome being a virtual guarantee. The only thing that likely derails this 49ers bullet train is bad luck (or a certain NFC team residing in Philadelphia).
Here are For The Win’s Week 6 NFL power rankings, with the 49ers setting the pace.