After the 49ers 30-22 win over the Green Bay Packers last week, linebacker Patrick Willis dropped a line that has stuck in my head ever since:
Man, you don't know how happy I am. This is crazy. People thought they was gonna beat us by all these touchdowns, this and that. But I don't know who they think we are. We're on a mission. We on a mission. We cut it short last year and we're just continue to work every day, work hard
Most people did not see the Lions winning this game, but this team does still remain on a mission. The team does get fired up with big plays, but there is still very much a business-like approach to what they do. This team came up short last year and has shown through two weeks that they are full prepared to accomplish the final goal of winning the Super Bowl.
It remains to be seen how they will be playing later this year, but through two games this team is playing the best football in the NFL. There are other teams playing well, but the 49ers are showing some incredibly impressive balance. It will be interesting to see how teams will game-plan against them as the season wears along. I feel like we have not seen anything close to the full arsenal from this team.
Now the team will head on the road for a two-game road trip against the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets. The team will make another stop in Youngstown, Ohio. The team did this last year between their visits to Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
Although the 49ers will likely be favored in both games this year, these are games where the 49ers can really exert their authority. Right now, at this moment, the 49ers are the best team in football. That can change from week to week, but heading into Week 3, expectations are going to be changing a bit. The 49ers next three games are at Minnesota, at the New York Jets and home versus the Buffalo Bills. That leads into their Week 6 rematch with the New York Giants.
Between now and Week 6, the 49ers are playing games where they will be expected to dictate tempo on both sides of the ball and take care of business. While wins are great, this team has reached a point where most of us are expecting style points. This is obviously not a team built to be flashy and stylish in the high profile sense. However, I think it is safe to say many of us are going to be getting a little bit greedy heading into some of these matchups.
Jim Harbaugh has done a spectacular job coaching, but it will be interesting to see how he handles the mental aspect of things now. The 49ers went from hunters to hunted heading into this season. After Week 1 they made their way close to the front of the pack. Right now, they are officially at the head of the pack. The key now is avoiding slip-ups. I have faith in the coaching staff, but it still will be interesting to see how the 49ers come out of the gates in their next three games.