What the 49ers taught us over first 4 weeks of 2023 season

Off to a perfect 4-0 start, the 49ers are red hot entering the second quarter of the season, and they've also left us with these key takeaways.

There are two remaining undefeated teams in football, both of which reside in the NFC.

Through four weeks, both the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers stand at 4-0, which pretty much answers the prediction about which teams within the conference would be top contenders for a Super Bowl berth this February.

Judging from the first quarter of the season, it'll be the same two teams that met each other in the NFC Championship game last January.

Few teams across the conference are as balanced on both sides of the ball as the Niners and Eagles, making a potential grudge match between San Francisco and Philadelphia one to anticipate, should it happen.

With 13 more games to play, though, the 49ers have enough to worry about before getting focused on postseason football. Yet the four-game win streak to start the regular season has left some important takeaways other than just Philly and the Niners being top dogs within the conference.

Let's take a look at what's standing out so far.

Takeaway No. 1: 49ers offense can carry the defense now

Dating back to 2019, it sure seemed as if it was San Francisco's defense doing much of the heavy lifting. While head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense had its share of explosive playmakers like wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle, it was the other side of the ball that usually had to bail out a frequent interception thrown by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo or something similar.

Now, though, Shanahan's offense has scored 30, 30, 30 and 35 points in each respective contest, and it's committed just one turnover.

Granted, the 49ers offense and defense both rank third in scoring through four weeks, but the offense is just a wee bit better in points per drive (3.05 -- third best) than the defensive points-per-drive allowed (1.58 -- seventh best).