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Nick Bosa has been out since September. Fred Warner has been out since October. Kittle missed five weeks early in the year. Ricky Pearsall was sidelined for seven games, too. Purdy, himself, missed two games in September, rushed back, then missed another six. Then, on top of all that, there was the offseason cap purge that led to the departure of mainstays such as Samuel, Charvarius Ward, Javon Hargrave, Dre Greenlaw, Maliek Collins and Talanoa Hufanga.<\/p>\n
Somehow, despite all of that, San Francisco is 12\u20134 and riding a six-game winning streak.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think it\u2019s a big testament to Kyle and John and our owners, just the culture that they\u2019ve built here,\u201d Purdy said. \u201cThey bring in the right guys every year, whether it\u2019s new draft picks, free agents or whatever. I feel like we\u2019re all just made of the right stuff. And when you go through adversity like that, to be able to have a team still just be scrappy and find ways to win and not just throw in the towel early in the season or midway through, you\u2019ve got big-name guys go down, I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s just a testament to them, building this.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also those guys having trust that what\u2019s been built will work the same with a replacement as it did with an All-Pro.<\/p>\n
Purdy does, and that\u2019s why he never bought into the idea that when he got paid in May, he suddenly would have to become a different player. He knew what Shanahan and his staff wanted of him\u2014and trusted that the result would follow.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t overthink it and just randomly decide, Hey, I\u2019m going to be Superman right here, and put the team on my back and do something crazy,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s like, No, it doesn\u2019t matter who\u2019s in the game, I still have to go out and execute as a quarterback that is trusting in Kyle\u2019s play calls and his offense, and trusting that he\u2019s going to put me in a good position to be able to drop back and rip it. And if number one\u2019s not there, I\u2019m going to get to my number two in the progression. That\u2019s how I play the position.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the looks of it, it\u2019s how a lot of other Niners play theirs, too.<\/p>\n
That showed on the final touchdown, with Jennings being where he was supposed to be as Purdy read it out, and Pearsall playing to the whistle, helping clear a path to the end zone for his teammate, cutting off the angle the two Bears had. Truth be told, there were a lot of plays like that one for the Niners on Sunday, and there have been for a few weeks. Purdy would say to you, it\u2019s really what this particular team has become.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery team\u2019s so different,\u201d he said. \u201cI just think this year, given the circumstances, I just feel like our heart, the scrappiness, the willingness to finish games and find ways to win has been different compared to what I\u2019ve played on in the years past. In the first couple of years, we were blowing out teams. In the fourth quarter, the starters are out of the game. It was that vibe. And that was fun to be a part of. And I was grateful to be a part of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I feel like this year, it\u2019s definitely just, man, How can we give everything every minute, every quarter, every game, every week? And I\u2019m just proud to be a part of this kind of team.\u201d<\/p>\n
He then added, \u201cI\u2019m not knocking any of the previous teams; it\u2019s just different.\u201d<\/p>\n
The results, as it turns out, haven\u2019t been, either.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bills quarterback Josh Allen reacts after missing a wide-open throw on a two-point conversion attempt that would have given Buffalo the win over Philadelphia on Sunday. \/ Tina MacIntyre-Yee\/Democrat and Chronicle \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n
You\u2019re going to have to adjust your eyes to the way this Eagles team wins. No, Jalen Hurts doesn\u2019t look the same as he did last year. Saquon Barkley\u2019s production has been affected by offensive line attrition. A.J. Brown\u2019s beat up. But here\u2019s the thing: The defense, quietly, might be better than it was last year, and maybe significantly so.<\/p>\n
And that brings me back to conversations I had with Eagles folks over the summer.<\/p>\n
I mentioned to a couple of them how it would be cool to see Philly\u2019s guys playing in Vic Fangio\u2019s scheme, with a year under their belts. I was immediately reminded that Fangio would be replacing nearly half of the starters from his championship defense, with Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Isaiah Rodgers all gone. Younger players were in their spots. It might take some time, I was told.<\/p>\n
Now, it sure looks like this group\u2019s time has come, and Sunday\u2019s heavyweight bout in Orchard Park\u2014it was Eagles 13, Bills 12 when the final bell rang\u2014is proof positive.<\/p>\n
Through three quarters, Philly shut out Josh Allen & Co., while holding the Bills to 201 yards on 35 snaps, and 11 first downs. Buffalo was 2-of-8 on third down over that time, and Philly stoned the Bills\u2019 two trips inside their 40 with a forced fumble and a goal-line stand.<\/p>\n
And they did it mostly by carrying out Fangio\u2019s plan to make anyone but Allen the hero.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly that,\u201d fourth-year defensive tackle Jordan Davis told me after the game. \u201cWe wanted to stop their run up front. We knew they led the league in rushing yards as a team, as a unit, and we wanted to make sure that we handled that. And then let Josh Allen play QB from the pocket. And he got out of the pocket a couple times and made great passes. I mean, he\u2019s a QB. He\u2019s MVP. That\u2019s what he does. But we just wanted to make sure that we went in with a plan and not let him take over the game and put the team on his back.\u201d<\/p>\n
The plan worked through three quarters. At that point, Allen was 12-of-22 for 160 yards, and the Bills had rushed for 73 yards on 17 carries. Then, Allen found his cape, and became Superman because, as Davis said, \u201cThat\u2019s what he does.\u201d And the collateral of the first three quarters wound up being just enough.<\/p>\n
First, a 19-yard sack from one of those first-year starters, Jalyx Hunt, knocked the Bills out of field goal range. Then, the Bills had to grind out 54 yards and convert three third downs over 11 plays to score their first touchdown. After that, the Bills needed 13 plays and two fourth-down conversions to cover 83 yards to make it 13\u201312.<\/p>\n
And then it all came down to one play, after the Bills dominated the fourth quarter, having the ball for more than 11 minutes, and the Eagles\u2019 offense had been held to 17 yards in the second half. I asked Davis if it was a relief, given the toll the fourth quarter had to have taken, that Buffalo decided to go for two rather than play for overtime. He laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t really say that,\u201d he responded.<\/p>\n
On the two-point play, they got some help, sure, with Allen missing Khalil Shakir wide left. But they also did what was intended, forcing Allen to beat them from the pocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really have to stay disciplined with this team and with that quarterback,\u201d Davis said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be undisciplined and take a high rush or work your way outside where he can take it up the middle. And, yeah, as you can see, the results showed.\u201d<\/p>\n
So the defense that held a third consecutive opponent, and fifth opponent in eight games, under 300 yards, played the situation the way they wanted. It wasn\u2019t perfect\u2014if it had been, Shakir wouldn\u2019t have been wide open. But it was enough, again, to carry the offense through its struggles, and the Eagles to an 11th win.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold did just enough to help Seattle beat the Panthers on Sunday to set up a winner-take-all game with the 49ers for the NFC West title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. \/ Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
The Seahawks keep answering questions. This week, it was fair to think that Seattle may be susceptible to a letdown. The NFC West leaders were coming off an emotional, physical, draining overtime win against the Rams on Dec. 18. They were traveling across the country for a 10 a.m. PT kickoff. The conditions in Charlotte were dreary.<\/p>\n
And then \u2026 it kinda played out that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s really important after a game like the last one to watch the film and turn the page as quickly as you can, because these games stack, and you gotta be ready to play the next one,\u201d second-year tight end AJ Barner told me postgame. \u201cAnd, yeah, we gotta start faster. The start wasn\u2019t it. And you do that, you allow their team to beat you. Our energy was lacking.\u201d<\/p>\n
What was important on Sunday was the response.<\/p>\n
A halftime locker room scene to remember\u2014with Barner and 10-year vet Jarran Reed laying down the gauntlet to their teammates. The Seahawks and Panthers were tied at 3\u20133. The Seahawks came out with a jolt. They returned around 4 p.m. local time with a 27\u201310 win, and another experience was logged with the playoffs looming.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to get a little vocal, and get a little juice going\u2014East Coast game,\u201d Barner said. \u201cSo I think we came out with better energy in the second half, and played complementary football.\u201d<\/p>\n
It all added up to more experience for a team building its wall of big-game pelts.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an individual player, and as a team as well, that\u2019s huge in the NFL, and especially late in the year,\u201d Barner said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s dealing with different things, but the good teams find a way. And that\u2019s what we did today, and we gotta keep building off of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Up next for Mike Macdonald\u2019s crew is a shot at the NFC\u2019s No. 1 seed. They\u2019ll play the 49ers, who beat them in a Week 1 nailbiter in Seattle.<\/p>\n
Win on the road in Santa Clara, and they won\u2019t have to play away from Lumen Field again.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur home field is such an advantage for us, the 12s, I mean, everyone knows. You come to play us at home, and it\u2019s gonna be real loud,\u201d Barner said. \u201cThe big thing, too, is the division. We take pride in our division, we wanna win our division, and if doing that gives us the one seed, great. So it\u2019s a huge game, and obviously a damn good opponent, too, in the Niners. It\u2019s gonna be a great battle. But we\u2019re ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next week\u2019s Ravens-Steelers game is going to be treated like Referendum Sunday. Last week, it was John Harbaugh under the microscope after sitting Derrick Henry through the fourth quarter, as an 11-point lead over the Patriots evaporated. This week, it\u2019s (again) Mike Tomlin<\/a> after the Steelers failed to reach the end zone in a 13\u20136 loss in Cleveland on Sunday.<\/p>\n The Ravens\u2019 loss to New England eliminated any margin for error Baltimore had left coming out of Week 16. But the Steelers\u2019 loss gave the Ravens new life.<\/p>\n Now, given the stature of the guys on hand, it\u2019s worth reviewing a few things:<\/p>\n \u2022 Tomlin is in his 19th season in Pittsburgh, which is four more than his predecessor, Hall of Famer Bill Cowher. He\u2019s never had a losing season and is 192-114-2. He\u2019s won eight playoff games (bringing his win total to 200), been to three AFC title games and two Super Bowls, and won it all in 2008.<\/p>\n \u2022 Harbaugh is in his 18th year, and is 180\u2013112, with 13 playoff wins, four AFC title game appearances, and a Super Bowl title after the 2012 season. He\u2019s now been in charge for twice as long as his own Super Bowl\u2013winning predecessor, Brian Billick.<\/p>\n Both of these coaches will have their names featured on the inside of the stadiums they coach in. However, when there are bumps in the road, questions will arise on whether the organization needs a new voice\u2014and those questions have come up.<\/p>\n I do get the frustration of the fan bases. The Steelers haven\u2019t won a playoff game since 2016, are 3\u201310 in the postseason since getting to Super XLV in February 2011, and have struggled to replace quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Ravens have had more success, but they haven\u2019t made a Super Bowl in Lamar Jackson\u2019s eight years, have made only one AFC title game in that time, and both of the quarterback\u2019s MVP seasons, 2019 and \u201923, ended with the Ravens losing in the playoffs as home favorites.<\/p>\n One of these two guys will win the division next weekend and go into what looks like a wide-open AFC playoff bracket with a battle-tested quarterback. The other will have failed to do so, attached to all of the above.<\/p>\n And so in a certain way, it will surely feel like there\u2019s more on the line than just a playoff berth.<\/p>\n As for the NFC South title game, it\u2019s hard to believe the NFC West runner-up will have to travel to the Southeast in two weeks to play its winner. That\u2019s not a slight against the Buccaneers or Panthers. That\u2019s just reality. The 49ers, Seahawks and Rams are a collective 21\u20134 since Halloween, with three of the four losses coming against each other. Meanwhile, the Panthers have gone 4\u20135 over their past nine, which was somehow enough to catch a free-falling Buccaneers team, once seen as a Super Bowl contender, that\u2019s lost seven of eight.<\/p>\n Both Tampa Bay and Carolina lost again Sunday\u2014to the Dolphins and Seahawks, respectively\u2014to set up Saturday\u2019s late-afternoon game for the division title and the NFC\u2019s No. 4 seed.<\/p>\n Of course, these situations weren\u2019t created equally.<\/p>\n The Buccaneers saw themselves as a Super Bowl contender early on, as they fought through injuries and relied on a raft of young guys, and quarterback Baker Mayfield, to get to 5\u20131. They\u2019re 2\u20138 since. Meanwhile, no one expected much of the Panthers, and even less so after a 1\u20133 start. But Dave Canales\u2019s young, frisky bunch won three straight after that rugged beginning, and the Panthers have played over their head a bit in treading water since.<\/p>\n So, essentially, Saturday can bring validation for Carolina or relief for Tampa.<\/p>\n And then, a really tough first-round opponent, be it the Seahawks, Niners or Rams, who\u2019ll probably not be too pleased about having to make the trip east.<\/p>\n Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby left the team facility on Friday after the team shut him down for the season. \/ Eric Hartline-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The Raiders and Maxx Crosby had a weird week. Crosby\u2019s knee injury goes back to Las Vegas\u2019s first game against the Chiefs on Oct. 19. He\u2019s been managed through every week of practice since, and has appeared on the injury report with the knee issue since Week 12.<\/p>\n Seeing Crosby fight through the pain led to the Raiders getting another scan on the knee on Dec. 23. The result was doctors advising Crosby to stop playing and have surgery.<\/p>\n Whether Crosby needed surgery was never in question; that much was known in October. The gray area was how long he could play before shutting it down. Several doctors the team consulted with said the damage was much greater than it had been earlier in the season, and that it would be unreasonable for him to continue playing.<\/p>\n Crosby sought two second opinions, had respected doctors tell him he\u2019d be fine to finish out the season and then have surgery.<\/p>\n However, the Raiders decided to shut him down, leading to an incensed Crosby leaving the facility on Friday<\/a>. Crosby already knew that team brass might be more interested in pursuing the No. 1 pick than beating the Giants this week or a depleted Chiefs team in Week 18, and would sit him as part of that pursuit. Vegas, meanwhile, viewed it as protecting Crosby\u2019s future and giving him the best shot at getting back to full health and participating in the 2026 offseason (rather than rehabbing through it).<\/p>\n So, what does this mean moving forward?<\/p>\n Crosby\u2019s loyalty to the Raiders and the Davis family has endured a lot since he was drafted in 2019. He\u2019s played for Jon Gruden, Rich Bisaccia, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce, and, now, Pete Carroll, with another coaching change potentially coming. The one time he made the postseason was under an interim coach, Bisaccia, following the Gruden scandal. He\u2019s been steadfast in wanting to make it work in the Silver & Black.<\/p>\n That said, the five-time Pro Bowler didn\u2019t like the decision to shut him down being taken out of his hands, and didn\u2019t like how it was communicated to him. Tom Brady\u2019s longtime body coach, Alex Guerrero, who\u2019s now in an elevated role in the organization, is part of the equation here, too.<\/p>\n My sense is this will likely lead Crosby to consider all of his options. He\u2019ll be 29 by the start of next season and has a lot of mileage on his body after finishing each of the past three seasons hurt. His contract is tradeable, and the Raiders still look like they\u2019re a couple of good offseasons away from contending.<\/p>\n Now, he can take his time cooling off. However, I\u2019d imagine as the combine and free agency draw closer, Crosby\u2019s situation will be a point of conversation.<\/p>\n In a jumbled AFC playoff picture<\/a>, the Texans\u2019 defense is the very best unit. That\u2019s accounting for 48 of them\u2014offense, defense and special teams, across 16 teams\u2014and it keeps getting proved week after week after week.<\/p>\n It happened again on Saturday, this time in a very specific way that made all the difference in a playoff-clinching 20\u201316 road win over the Chargers. The Texans came into the week leading the NFL in total defense and scoring defense. Even after playing, and before 26 other teams had played their Week 18 games, Houston had allowed fewer points than any team in the NFL. Yet, there was this little leak they arrived in L.A. wanting to plug.<\/p>\n They were 23rd in red zone defense. Yes, part of the reason is that they don\u2019t allow teams inside the 20 much anyway (only 37 times vs. 57 for the Raiders and Jets, tied for 21st in that category, and 59 for Arizona, which ranks 24th). The point was, for a group that ranked in the top four in run and pass defense, yards per play, yards per carry and pass yards per play allowed, it was\u00a0 something.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just playing together, all 11 guys communicating to be on the same page and doing our job,\u201d linebacker Henry To\u2019oto\u2019o told me postgame. \u201cThat was the biggest thing; that\u2019s what we harped on. When people score on us in the red zone, we\u2019re either having bad eyes, we\u2019re miscommunicating, or somebody\u2019s not doing their job.\u201d<\/p>\n Problem identified. Problem (mostly) solved.<\/p>\n The Chargers\u2019 first trip into the red zone came on the heels of a C.J. Stroud pick that gave L.A. possession on the Houston 37. Four plays later, Omarion Hampton was buried for a one-yard loss on second-and-3 from the 8, then Justin Herbert had no one open on third down and Cameron Dicker came on for a field goal. On the Chargers\u2019 next possession, a 60-yard Herbert bomb to Quentin Johnston was rendered moot when, on the next play, Azeez Al-Shaair picked off Herbert at the goal line. And after another Stroud pick gave the Chargers possession at the Houston 32, a Denico Autry sack in the red zone led to a missed Dicker kick.<\/p>\n In each case, a fire was put out. \u201cThat\u2019s our mentality, man,\u201d said To\u2019oto\u2019o, \u201cWhat\u2019s next?\u201d<\/p>\n So I did ask To\u2019oto\u2019o if there is anything else to fix for this defense playing at such a high level? The third-year linebacker said he\u2019d like to see more takeaways. That, by the way, is yet another category where the defense ranks in the top five. Which shows you that they\u2019re running out of things to improve on and have gotten to a pretty ridiculous level.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n