Young has an immediate impact on the 49ers’ debut.
Young wasted no time in telling the 49ers (6-3) that selling a compensatory third-round pick to Washington to get Young and Nick Bosa back together was the right move. Trevor Lawrence of the Jaguars was stifled by the new pass-rushing tandem during the commanding 34–3 triumph in Jacksonville. In his 49ers debut, Young recorded two QB hits and half a sack. The 49ers’ gifted defensive line, which had been a bit of a letdown before Sunday’s game in Jacksonville, was also energised by Young. Against the Jaguars, San Francisco recorded 10 QB hits and five sacks.
The 49ers have ended their three-game losing streak, thus the sky is no longer falling. And because the defence finally played up to expectations, they could be the only club in the NFC to unseat the Eagles once more. During the losing streak, Purdy’s problems dominated the news, but when Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel returned to the field, there was optimism that he would be alright. That was the case in the 49ers’ 437 total yards against the Jaguars. With 296 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, Purdy completed 19 of 26 passes.
Browns capitalize on Ravens’ second-half mistakes
Surprisingly, two of the best defenses in the league played in a high-scoring game Sunday, with the Browns rallying for a 33–31 win against the Ravens. But each side recorded a pick-six and forced quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson into many mistakes. Watson, however, made fewer mistakes and flashed shades of his former self—the quarterback who went to three Pro Bowls with the Houston Texans.
Watson helped the Browns march 58 yards in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter to set up Dustin Hopkins’s game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired. Watson ignited the drive with a 17-yard completion to Amari Cooper on second-and-19. Cleveland scored 16 unanswered points in the final nine minutes of regulation. Jackson struggled to put the game away, throwing a costly pick-six to Greg Newsome II to make it 31–30 (Hopkins missed the extra-point attempt).
Some have been hesitant to back the Ravens as Super Bowl contenders because they’re not built to play from behind with a suspect receiving corps. That wasn’t quite the situation Sunday, but the Ravens failing to score on their final two possessions does add to that narrative. As for the Browns, they have plenty to be excited about after Watson finally took steps in the right direction.
In his season debut, Murray threw for 249 yards and ran for a score as Arizona beat Atlanta.
Kyler Murray has impressive season debut vs. Falcons
Murray’s return gave the Cardinals a spark during Sunday’s 25–23 win against the Falcons. Murray made plays with his arm and legs in his first game back since tearing his ACL 11 months ago. Murray had a 13-yard scramble and a 33-yard completion to tight Trey McBride during the game-winning drive.
Murray also had a six-yard rushing touchdown and nearly added a passing touchdown on his 15-yard completion to rookie wide receiver Michael Wilson, who was ruled short of the goal line. Rookie quarterback Clayton Tune filled in for Murray for the QB sneak touchdown to give the Cardinals a 22–17 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Arizona made the right move not to put its franchise quarterback in harm’s way. Yes, Murray is still the Cardinals’ franchise quarterback, but that could certainly change if the Cardinals decide to draft a quarterback in 2024. But Murray can prevent that if he’s able to lead Arizona to a handful of victories before the ‘23 campaign concludes.
Bengals’ rushing attack continues to be a problem
The Bengals have gotten by most of the season without a consistent running game, but the team needed Joe Mixon to step up Sunday vs. the Texans because of the injuries to wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. Mixon only contributed 46 rushing yards, and the Bengals as a team managed just 66 yards on the ground during the 30–27 loss against the Texans. Higgins was ruled out because of a hamstring injury, but Chase managed to play with a bad back and contributed five catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. Cincinnati has cracked 100 rushing yards in a game only once this season.
For the most part, Joe Burrow made it work without a ground game by throwing for 347 yards. But C.J. Stroud and the Texans controlled the time of possession (31:30 compared to 28:30). Stroud also saw more opportunities in the passing game because running back Devin Singletary contributed 150 rushing yards on 30 carries. The Bengals (5–4) missed a golden opportunity to gain a game on the Ravens (7–3), who fell against the Browns.
