Coming out of their bye, the San Francisco 49ers are officially in the stretch run and race for the NFC West and even the number one overall seed in the NFC. The 49ers’ path has changed, Philip Rivers, anyone? The goal remains the same. Win out and see where the chips land. The final four games begin with a matchup against the Tennessee Titans, who are again in contention for the first pick in the NFL Draft. The team will get reinforcements back and have their stars rested after the bye, ready to go for the stretch and playoff run.
How does the NFL media world view the 49ers at 9-4 with four remaining games?
ESPN.com – The 49ers remain at #7
The Rams are at number one with Seattle at number three, but the 49ers remain in the top ten at number seven. Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com chose the 49ers’ eighth-ranked scoring defense as the most shocking statistical ranking.
“It’s not just that the Niners finished 29th in this category in 2024 (25.6 points allowed per game), this defense (20.7) is also finding ways to limit scoring despite missing star linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) and defensive end Nick Bosa (knee) for most of the season. The Niners rank in the bottom half of the league in most major defensive categories (expected points added, takeaways, yards per play, defensive efficiency and yards per play) but still have kept the team in most of its games. That has helped put the 49ers in prime playoff position for the stretch run.”
NFL.com – The 49ers hold at #8
Eric Edholm of NFL.com ranked the Chicago Bears ahead of the 49ers at number seven, but isn’t counting out the 49ers despite their injury adversity.
“The league’s most beat-up team rode into the Week 14 bye on a high, winning three straight, and you could make a strong case that having their week off earlier in the season might have helped more from a health standpoint. They’re not going to get back any significant players from injury, and Kyle Juszczyk’s status remains up in the air. That said, it’s probably a great thing that San Francisco’s stars — especially workhorse Christian McCaffrey — had a break. Winning out could actually give the Niners a shot at the No. 1 seed, and three of the final four are at home, with the lone road game (at Indianapolis) looking different following Daniel Jones’ injury. Don’t count San Francisco out, even with all the injuries.”
Bleacher Report – The 49ers move up two spots to #11
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report believes the 49ers will enter their season finale matchup with Seattle with a postseason berth locked up.
“The Niners entered their bye week on a three-game winning streak. San Francisco already endured the worst with the season-ending injuries to linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa. Quarterback Brock Purdy also missed multiple games. Yet the 49ers sit in a good position with a 9-4 record and upcoming games against the Tennessee Titans and Daniel Jones-less Indianapolis Colts. San Francisco could easily be 11-4 going into Week 17 with having an postseason appearance all but sewn up.”
CBSSports.com – The 49ers move up one spot to #8
Chicago is one spot in front of San Francisco, but Pete Prisco of CBS Sports believes the next two games are soft enough to clinch a playoff spot for the 49ers.
“They come off their bye with a soft schedule the next two weeks that should get them into the playoffs. They’ve navigated a ton of injuries to get here.”
Pro Football Talk – The 49ers hold the #10 spot again
When the schedule was released, the late bye week was an eyebrow raiser, but given the circumstances and playoff path, it could be perfect timing. The 49ers get their break and can dial in for the stretch and playoff run.
Mike Florio of PFT agrees saying, “They badly needed a break.”
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