The San Francisco 49ers enter Week 16 with a disappointing 6-8 record, likely set to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2020. What began as a season filled with Super Bowl aspirations has unraveled, leaving the team searching for answers and aiming to end the year on a positive note.
With the postseason slipping further out of reach, the focus has shifted to finding momentum that can carry into next season.
Their most recent setback—a frustrating 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams—highlighted the ongoing struggles and inconsistency plaguing the team throughout its 2024 campaign.
Quarterback Brock Purdy, who delivered a franchise record-breaking performance last season, completed just 45.2% of his passes for 142 yards and one interception in the disappointing outing against the Rams.
Next, the 49ers face a tough challenge against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. After that, they'll host the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium before wrapping up their season against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
What does the national media think about the 49ers compared to the rest of the league? Below is a sample of some of the most prominent power rankings from around the web, showing where San Francisco currently stands in each. As always, the highest rankings are listed first.
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 16
Previous Ranking: 14
"I'm not typically one to perpetuate the macho-man/hypermasculine stereotypes about football players. These guys are just as complicated and emotionally driven as any of us in our day-to-day lives, and we should allow some grace when these men make decisions that we might not understand. That said, I have little to offer in terms of sympathy for 49ers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell after his decision to leave the field on Thursday night when his team needed him. Teammate Dre Greenlaw is a locker-room leader and the objectively better football player, and he deserved to get his starting job back after recovering from the Achilles injury he suffered in February during the Super Bowl. For Campbell to decline to play when Greenlaw needed to be spelled, while the 49ers have been struggling with injuries and bad luck all season is too much to bear, and the reaction from the organization tells me that there's some serious bad blood here. Campbell has since been suspended, but I don't think we've heard the last of this situation." — Diante Lee
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 16
Previous Ranking: 19
"I think I'm throwing any Brock Purdy takes out the window from Thursday night. While I expected the 49ers to perform better against a gassed Rams team, they were completely unable to run the ball to the outside in bad weather conditions. The Rams did an excellent job of not biting on some of Shanahan's signature smoke and mirrors, especially Byron Young. Most quarterbacks are going to be neutralized in this scenario." — Conor Orr
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 17
Previous Ranking: 15
"The 49ers have hung tough despite their consistent rash of injuries and lack of consistent contributors, offensively or defensively. Now, they're just trying to glue the rest of the healthy players together so they can be ready for redemption next season." — Vinnie Iyer
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 18
Previous Ranking: 17
"You couldn't produce more night-and-day performances than the 49ers did in Weeks 14 and 15. Determined and dominant against the Bears, sloppy and punchless against the Rams -- all in a span of five days. Nonetheless, the big picture reveals the bigger truth, after four losses in five games: It was just never San Francisco's season. Injuries were the biggest story. But the 49ers also underachieved at times, with the Chicago game a stark reminder of that. After all, you can't say the Niners were healthy for that one, really. They technically were more healthy against the Rams, getting Nick Bosa and Dre Greenlaw back from injury, and they still lost. Adding insult to the injury debate was De'Vondre Campbell's refusal to play, which led to even more armchair evaluation about the health of the team -- as well as a three-game suspension for the linebacker. That post-Bears afterglow sure was fleeting." — Eric Edholm
Current Ranking: 19
Previous Ranking: 16
"The disappointment of this season is still fresh in San Francisco's minds, but the general manager needs to turn his focus to 2025. The 49ers aren't short on high-priced talent, whether it's McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle on offense or Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner on defense. Adding a massive deal for Purdy to the team's books isn't going to be easy—and some tough decisions may need to be made." — Gary Davenport
ESPN
Current Ranking: 19
Previous Ranking: 18
"The 49ers averaged 11.2 yards per reception allowed (24th in the NFL) and yielded 18 plays of 20-plus passing yards (tied for 16th) in the first seven weeks. Since Week 8, the Niners have dropped those numbers to 9.3 yards per reception (second lowest in the league) and given up just 10 pass plays of 20-plus yards (fewest in the NFL). Teams have had to work harder to finish drives with touchdowns, though the 49ers' improvement in this area has been mitigated by their struggles against the run and in the red zone." — Nick Wagoner
USA Today
Current Ranking: 19
Previous Ranking: 18
"They had 191 yards in their latest loss, the fewest in a regular-season contest since HC Kyle Shanahan was hired in 2017." — Nate Davis
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 19
Previous Ranking: 17
"The De'Vondre Campbell episode became a sideshow to the bigger problem, and that's the 49ers having a no-show performance with their season having a little bit of life left. Presumably, the 49ers bounce back with better health next season, but this isn't a young roster anymore." — Frank Schwab
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 20
Previous Ranking: 19
"Brock Purdy came up small in a big game against the Rams. They have an outside shot at the playoffs, but they can't afford another loss." — Pete Prisco
Current Ranking: 20
Previous Ranking: 17
"Sometimes, it's your year. Sometimes, it's just not." — Mike Florio
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 21
Previous Ranking: 18
"Purdy hasn't played as well this season as he did last, but who in San Francisco has? The 24-year-old is seventh in EPA per dropback (.15) but has nine interceptions against 15 touchdowns one year after having 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. This will be an interesting offseason for Purdy, who has one more year on his rookie deal. He is set to make $1.1 million in 2025. Will a new deal get done this offseason?" — Josh Kendall
