The San Francisco 49ers have rebounded nicely from their three consecutive losses, securing two straight wins and improving their record to 7-3. Their latest victory came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 49ers' next challenge is a pivotal divisional showdown against the 6-4 Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving night. The road doesn't get any smoother after that as they head to Philadelphia for an NFC Championship Game rematch against the Eagles, then return home to Levi's Stadium for another clash with the Seahawks.
We'll learn a lot about the 49ers in these next three games. This stretch will serve as a litmus test for the team's resilience and resolve.
The good news is that San Francisco now resembles the team that opened the season with a 5-0 record rather than the one that struggled through a three-game losing streak. The national media has noticed and are again labeling the 49ers as strong contenders in the NFC.
Against the Buccaneers, the team's second-year quarterback, Brock Purdy, turned in one of his best performances. He completed 21 of his 25 passing attempts for 333 yards and three touchdowns, earning a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
What does the national media think about the Niners' roster compared to the rest of the league? Below are samples from some of the more prominent power rankings around the web and where San Francisco currently stands within each. As always, the highest rankings are listed first.
ESPN
Current Ranking: 2
Previous Rank: 3
"Hot seat: DT Javon Kinlaw. Finally healthy and able to practice consistently, Kinlaw has been solid but unspectacular in a backup role this year. The Niners occasionally plug him in as their fifth down lineman when they play heavy fronts and rotate him in behind Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead. He has 10 tackles, four pressures and a pair of deflected passes while often taking on multiple blockers to free up others on running plays. Kinlaw has been at his best defending the run, posting a 34.4% run stop win rate that is double what he had last year. He's set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season because the Niners declined his fifth-year option, and though it's possible he could be brought back, the Niners are unlikely to make a sizable investment to keep him." — Nick Wagoner
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 2
Previous Rank: 2
"Purdy perfect." — Mike Florio
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 2
Previous Rank: 2
"Sometimes, I just watch 49ers plays in slow motion. I feel like Cameron staring at 'A Sunday Afternoon on the island of La Grande Jett.' Christian McCaffrey's touchdown catch was so simple, but so exquisite. The way that McCaffrey stepped out to his left before darting right drew Devin White away from the eventual destination, making him have to deal with three 49ers receivers crashing from the opposite direction. It was a play destined to succeed from the moment White revealed he was responsible for McCaffrey." — Conor Orr
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 2
Previous Rank: 4
"The 49ers got over their midseason three-game hiccup in style with big wins over the Jaguars and Buccaneers in which their offense looks unstoppable, led by red-hot Brock Purdy with Christian McCaffrey and everyone else healthy. They are back to pushing for 'best in the NFC' status." — Vinnie Iyer
Current Ranking: 2
Previous Rank: 3
"The 49ers aren't first in the power rankings, but the 49ers look like the best team in football when they're playing even close to their best. If Brock Purdy continues to play anywhere near his level the past two weeks — he had a perfect passer rating on Sunday — the 49ers will be close to unbeatable. This is an impressive team." — Frank Schwab
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Rank: 4
"The 49ers dominated basically from start to finish in a 27-14 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. The game never really felt as close as the final score might imply, and it served as a good reminder of just how unstoppable a healthy San Francisco offense can be. Brock Purdy was absolutely surgical, slicing and dicing the Tampa Bay defense to the tune of 333 yards and three touchdowns to finish with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Christian McCaffrey did Christian McCaffrey things, rushing for 78 yards while adding 25 yards and a score through the air. George Kittle caught eight passes for 89 yards and a score, leading all tight ends this week with 59 yards after the catch. Brandon Aiyuk caught five passes for 156 yards and a score, leading all receivers this week with 78 yards after the catch. Oh, and Deebo Samuel added 63 yards on three catches, just as a cherry on top. The 49ers offense is playing on God mode right now, and it's hard to imagine that any defense could slow it down." — Danny Kelly
USA Today
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Rank: 3
"Brock Purdy, 'Mr. Irrelevant,' has faced No. 1 overall draft pick QBs each of the past three games, winning twice. His next three matchups are with second-rounders before he sees Kyler Murray, the top pick in 2019, in Week 15. All of those opposing passers will draw a San Francisco defense depleted by the loss of All-Pro S Talanoa Hufanga (torn ACL)." — Nate Davis
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 4
Previous Rank: 5
"After two impressive performances, including Sunday's win over Tampa Bay, this team looks ready for a season-defining stretch from Thanksgiving through Christmas. The 49ers have a pair of games against the reeling Seahawks sandwiched around the NFC Championship Game rematch in Philly. After that, they head on the road to face a revived Cardinals team before hosting the Ravens in what could be a late-season Super Bowl preview in Santa Clara. Brock Purdy has six TDs and 11 incomplete passes over the past two games. The defense has returned to form, allowing the Jaguars and Bucs to total 508 combined yards and forcing six turnovers against them, although the season-ending injury to Talanoa Hufanga is a big one. Still, this team is humming again with its nearly annual autumn heat wave. Healthy Kyle Shanahan teams have been hard to beat in November and December." — Eric Edholm
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Rank: 4
"The 17 streak is over. The 49ers lost three straight games in October, scoring 17 points in each. They have scored at least 27 in every other game and are third in the league in scoring margin (22). Brock Purdy was Brock Purdy again Sunday, completing 21 of 25 passes for 333 yards, three touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He has had four of the top 15 passer rating games in the league this season." — Josh Kendall
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Rank: 6
"In the NFL, a passer rating of 158.3 is perfect. A quarterback can't do any better. And Brock Purdy of the 49ers posted that perfect passer rating in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers. Of Purdy's 25 pass attempts, just four fell incomplete. Purdy averaged a whopping 13.3 yards per attempt and tossed three touchdowns. It was a master class on how to play quarterback in the NFL—from a second-year pro who was the final pick in the 2022 draft. ... The 49ers are loaded with talent at the offensive skill positions. The defense has Pro Bowlers at all three levels in edge-rusher Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner and safety Talanoa Hufanga. But there's one thing that didn't go well for the Niners on Sunday—Hufanga suffered a season-ending ACL tear. It's a blow, to be sure. But the Niners still remain arguably the biggest threat to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC." — NFL Staff
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Rank: 5
"They are healthy now and playing like it. They beat up Tampa Bay as Brock Purdy had a perfect passer-rating. They are rolling again." — Pete Prisco
Touchdown Wire
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Rank: 6
"Brock Purdy made a few big boy throws and earned himself a perfect passer rating, the first 49ers quarterback to do so since Joe Montana." — Jarrett Bailey
Pro Football Network
Current Ranking: 6
Previous Rank: 6
"The Tampa Bay defense didn't offer a ton of resistance against the 49ers, but San Francisco appears back on track after their peculiar three-game skid a few weeks ago. Brock Purdy is playing well, and the 49ers' defensive front is inching back to elite performance again, which has been a catalyst in their recent playoff success." — Dalton Miller
