The best record the San Francisco 49ers can finish the season with is 8-8. That makes the playoffs a long shot. The Niners are preparing to face a struggling Dallas Cowboys team coming off a much-needed win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Another loss will slam the door shut on the team's already slim postseason hopes.
With no Jimmy Garoppolo expected until, at best, the last two weeks of the season — if at all — it will be Nick Mullens or maybe even C.J. Beathard at the helm of the offense. Head coach Kyle Shanahan wouldn't dismiss the possibility of a quarterback change from Mullens this week.
Regardless of who starts at quarterback, the focus will be to win these final three games of the regular season and let everything else figure itself out.
"We're professionals and all the coaches, all the players, we have a job to do," Shanahan said on Monday. "We have paychecks to earn, and I think our guys are well aware of that. Sometimes you've got to remind some people, but we come to work every day, and it's a lot easier to come to work when you love what you do, and you're passionate about playing football, and you're passionate about winning, but that's why I don't care about our situation.
"I don't care necessarily about the record, in terms of, yeah, I want it to be better, but, what I expect from guys, that starts with what is our job and what we get paid to do."
Below is a sample of some of the more prominent power rankings around the web and where San Francisco currently stands within each.
USA Today
Current Ranking: 18
Previous rank: 18
"After they dropped two games in Arizona, NFL teams playing 'home' games at alternate sites are now 1-6 since the 1970 merger. As former Niners coach Steve Mariucci would say, 'Bummer.'" — Nate Davis
ESPN
Current Ranking: 19
Previous rank: 18
"It speaks volumes about the 49ers' coaching staff that they have been able to squeeze these types of rankings out of a team that has been ravaged by injury all season. But the Niners still have a losing record, despite the generally strong overall rankings, because of the team's inconsistency and turnover problems. Those are largely the product of the many injuries, which have made it hard for San Francisco to string together victories and stay in the NFC playoff picture." — Nick Wagoner
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 21
Previous rank: 19
"The injuries seem to have finally caught up to this team. They are all but done. The Super Bowl hangover is complete." — Pete Prisco
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 21
Previous rank: 20
"The 49ers' adopted home confines in Arizona have been anything but friendly. San Francisco dropped to 0-2 at State Farm Stadium after a 23-15 loss to Washington that crippled the team's playoff hopes. The latest setback falls on an offense that couldn't make enough impact plays and was unable to avoid catastrophic turnovers. Nick Mullens lost a fumble late in the first half that was returned for a 47-yard touchdown by Chase Young. Mullens coughed up six more points in the second half when he threw a pick-six to Kamren Curl. The Niners are up to 25 turnovers this season (second-most in the NFL), and they became just the third team to lose a game this season when not allowing a scrimmage touchdown. One of those years." — Dan Hanzus
Current Ranking: 24
Previous rank: 21
"The San Francisco 49ers' 2020 season can best be summed up in two words: injuries galore. Their Week 14 loss to the Washington Football Team was no exception. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel tweaked his hamstring on the game's first play and didn't return. However, Samuel's quick exit wasn't the only reason that the San Fran offense struggled against Washington. With Jimmy Garoppolo out, Nick Mullens has been tasked with filling in under center. He was a mess against Washington, committing a pair of turnovers that were returned for touchdowns. At 5-8, the Niners no longer have a real chance of making a return to the playoffs. At this point, the defending NFC champions are doing little more than playing out the string." — NFL Staff
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 24
Previous rank: 18
"In this injury-addled season for the 49ers, backup QB Nick Mullens's turnovers foiled their chances against Washington. It's possible Kyle Shanahan could turn to C.J. Beathard next week." — Jenny Vrentas
