Is 49ers 3-0 start legit? Theyre about to find out vs Broncos, Seahawks

The 49ers are about to find out a lot about themselves the next two weeks.The first three weeks haven’t quite been all sunshine and lollipops (except the ones they hand out at the doctor’s office), but it’s been pretty easy, breezy and beautiful all things considered.Heck, last week was the first time they needed to use their starters for the entire fourth quarter.Hopefully they enjoyed it while it lasted.The schedule takes a decidedly different turn with the Super Bowl hopeful Broncos visiting Levi’s Stadium this Sunday followed by the Niners’ first true road game against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks.Coach Kyle Shanahan is aware of what’s in front of them.“People [can] say I’m in a flow, so my wife will take it, pump me up,” Shanahan said.

“[But] I know once you start saying that, I know what next week looks like [in Seattle].”Before the 49ers kick off against the Broncos and things start to get real, let’s take a step back to examine what’s real from their 3-0 start, what’s a mirage and what is too soon to tell.Claim: The 49ers’ offense is operating at its highest level yet.Verdict: RealShanahan isn’t taking any victory laps yet.But nobody would blame him with how he has the 49ers’ offense humming.

In Year 5 of their partnership, Shanahan and Brock Purdy have elevated an already potent attack into another stratosphere, and there’s evidence it can sustain.A football researcher and X user looked at the past 16 NFL seasons and found that early offensive success is far more predictive of the future than on the other side of the ball.Usually, Week 8 was about the point that teams began to separate themselves.Using the metric Expected Points Added per play, 74% of the teams in the top eight by then remained there at the end of the season.

But the biggest week-to-week jump occurs from Week 3 to 4.The Broncos have playmakers at all three levels of their defense, and they should provide the best measuring stick yet for t...