After watching the 49ers need just five plays to cover 84 yards and score on their first possession last Sunday, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had a simple message for his players.
"That's their only one."
Defensive coordinators say such things all the time, especially when facing the 49ers, who have scored touchdowns on opening possessions in five of their six games.
But last Sunday, Schwartz's words were prophetic. The Browns shut down the 49ers and gave them their first loss of the season, 19-17, in Cleveland.
"We say it all the time. We're the best in the world, as a defense and particularly as a secondary," Browns corner Greg Newsome II said afterward.
Time will prove that boast to be true, or hollow, but after six weeks of the 2023 season, it's hard to argue with Newsome II that the Browns defense is pretty good right now. It's given up 1,002 yards through five games, the third fewest since 1970. Injuries to running back Christian McCaffrey, receiver Deebo Samuel and left tackle Trent Williams made the 49ers less explosive, but so did the Browns.
We probably should have seen it coming. Schwartz's teams are 9-1 against Kyle Shanahan's, dating back to 2008, when they first faced each other as coordinators.
The 49ers loss left one unbeaten team: the Eagles. The Jets took care of that designation later Sunday afternoon, beating Philadelphia, 20-14, in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Eagles offense had not been as productive as the 49ers this season, but what the Jets did was only slightly less impressive than the Browns' accomplishment. They intercepted Jalen Hurts three times and shut out the Eagles in the second half.
And like the Browns, the Jets didn't lack bravado afterward.
"Through these first six weeks, we've played a gauntlet of quarterbacks," Jets coach Robert Saleh said. "I know we haven't gotten all wins, but we've embarrassed all of them."
Saleh later apologized, saying "embarrassed" was a poor word choice.
It's not just the Brown and Jets who are playing great defense. The Ravens and 49ers have, too. The Cowboys have been impressive at times. The Chiefs defense appears to be much improved. The Falcons are fourth in yardage, and the Lions are nearly as stingy.
Other than Miami's prolific offense, defense has been the story through six weeks of the season. Sacks are up and explosive plays are down. And it seems nearly everyone, not just the Cardinals, has trouble scoring touchdowns from the red zone.
Eighteen teams failed to score at least 20 points last weekend, According to Gerry Dulac, Steelers beat writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that is tied for the most in a bye week since bye week system was implemented in 1990.
There isn't just one reason for the offensive malaise. Paul Domowitch goes into great detail in this piece for the33rdteam.com.
A lot of young quarterbacks are playing. There are more mobile quarterbacks than ever, which can lead to taking sacks outside the pocket. Offenses are featuring more spread formations than ever, which gives offensive linemen less help, especially in pass protection. There are more pass rushers than ever.
Former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz noted on X (formerly Twitter) that there are several teams "who can roll 5-8 guys who get to the passer. The NFL has never seen that before."
Even teams without an elite rusher, like the Cardinals, have a few guys who can get to the passer.
Starters tend to play very little in the preseason, which leads to clunky performances in the early weeks of the season. And losing an offensive lineman to injury can be catastrophic, because no one has enough depth there.
The Cardinals starting offensive line remains intact, and they will need good health in the coming weeks. After Sunday's game in Seattle, they play the Ravens (second in yardage allowed, fourth in points) and the Browns (first and fifth) in consecutive weeks. Games against other good defensive teams, including the Falcons, 49ers and Eagles, await.
SACKS OF MONEY
As a Cardinal, defensive lineman Calais Campbell celebrated sacks by pretending to swing a baseball bat. But he's celebrating the 100th of his career, recorded last Sunday as a member of the Falcons, in a unique way.
Through his foundation, Campbell is donating more than $100,000 to teachers in the four NFL cities in which he played – Phoenix, Jacksonville, Baltimore and Atlanta. Twenty-five teachers in each city will receive $500 worth of supplies and another $500 to spend in their classrooms.
Selected teachers in Campbell's hometown of Denver and in Miami, where he played in college, will receive a total of $20,000.
"Football is an amazing job because it brings communities together," Campbell said in a news release announcing the donations. "That's why I want to share this milestone with the special communities that cheered for me and supported me throughout my career. I want to share this moment with them because teachers are the most important part of any community."
Campbell, 37, was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round in 2008. This is his 16th season and his first with the Falcons. He became the sixth active player to reach the 100-sack mark and the 41st in NFL history.
Campbell has made six Pro Bowls, one all-Pro team and was the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2019.
While the Cardinals have drafted some busts in the second round over the years, they also have picked great players in that round, too. My top five second-round choices since the team moved to Arizona in 1988:
- WR Anquan Boldin, 2005
- DL Calais Campbell, 2008
- S Budda Baker, 2017
- LB Karlos Dansby, 2004
- QB Jake Plummer, 1997
Other contenders, in order of year they were selected: WR Christian Kirk (2018), OLB Markus Golden (2015), LB Daryl Washington (2010), DL Kyle Vanden Bosch (2001) and WR Frank Sanders (1995).
RISKY BUSINESS
Personnel moves are exercises in risk assessment, but perhaps more so when it comes to going with a rookie kicker over a proven veteran. Two teams have paid a price in the opening weeks for making that decision.
Despite all their offensive troubles in Cleveland, the 49ers would have won if Jake Moody had a 41-yard field goal in the final seconds. He didn't. It's a kick that veteran Robbie Gould, whom the 49ers declined to re-sign, likely wouldn't have missed.
Patriots kicker Chad Ryland has made just 5 of 9 field goals this season, and two of those misses have been less than 50 yards. Ryland was drafted in the fourth round, and the Patriots traded veteran Nick Folk to the Titans before training camp.
Folk has made all 16 of his field goal attempts this season and has made 70 consecutive field goals inside 40 yards.
QUICK HITTERS
-- Turns out the "tush-push" or "brotherly shove" made infamous by the Eagles is not as foolproof as we thought, at least when it's run by someone other than Eagles. According to a quick search, the Giants, Cardinals, Colts, Cowboys, Jaguars, Chiefs, Patriots and Chargers have failed to convert using versions of the play.
There might be others that failed, but that's 25 percent of NFL teams right there. There has been some consideration to making the play illegal, but before taking that step, league officials better make sure the play either can't be defended, or poses a safety problem for players.
-- NFC South teams went 0-4 last week. They also went 0-4 in Week 3.
-- Jason, the Kelce brother not dating Taylor Swift, made his 145th consecutive start last week. That set an Eagles franchise record.
-- The Vikings went 11-0 in one-score games last season, and statistic gurus predicted a regression. They were right. Every Vikings game this season has been decided by one score. Minnesota is 2-4.
-- Best line of the season, so far, goes to former Cardinals guard Justin Pugh, who signed with the Giants practice squad last week and started days later. During introductions on the broadcast, when players typically say their name and where they attended college, Pugh said: "Justin Pugh, straight off the couch."
