Following the Lions’ loss in Philadelphia and a victory in Arizona, the San Francisco 49ers are sitting in the seventh seed in the NFC. If the season ended today, the 49ers would face the Rams at SoFi Stadium for a third matchup. There is much more football to play, but as long as the 49ers stack wins, they are in a great spot to clinch a playoff berth. With three more winnable games before the bye week, the 49ers could sit at ten wins with three games to play.
How does the NFL media view the 49ers with Brock Purdy returning and a 40-point output in Arizona?
ESPN.com – The 49ers crack the top ten and land at #9
The 49ers jump up four spots from number 13 to make their first appearance in a long time in the top ten for ESPN. Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com highlights Jauan Jennings as the player under the most pressure moving forward in 2025.
“Jennings’ season got off to a slow start after he dealt with a preseason contract dispute and a number of injuries. He didn’t get the lucrative long-term deal he sought and ultimately settled for incentives being added to his current contract, which expires after the season. Jennings has recently showed signs of life but hasn’t produced (32 catches for 378 yards and three touchdowns) at nearly the level he did in 2024. He could use a finishing flourish to land the type of deal he wants, and the 49ers need his strong play to make a postseason push.”
CBSSports.com – The 49ers move up one spot to #15
While Shane Steichen, Mike Vrabel, and Ben Johnson are rightfully getting attention for Coach of the Year consideration, what about Kyle Shanahan? It always seems that whenever Shanahan should be strongly considered, there’s another great story of a coach lifting a team from obscurity. Brian Daboll and Kevin Stefanski have won Coach of the Year, and the reason Stefanski won his is for leading his team to wins with three starting quarterbacks. Sound familiar?
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports wants people to praise Shanahan a bit more.
“Getting Brock Purdy back is big for this team. Kyle Shanahan has done an amazing job with this group.”
Bleacher Report – The 49ers move up two spots to #13
The 49ers don’t do streaks in 2025, at least lately, that is. No losing streaks, no winning streaks, but alternating wins and losses will hurt a team in the power rankings.
Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report highlights the defensive losses and the up-and-down nature of the 49ers’ results lately.
“Every week, the San Francisco 49ers lose a defensive player to injury, but they’re getting healthier on offense. Quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall returned to action after a month on the sideline. The former threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns, while the latter only caught one pass. San Francisco’s offense must compensate for key losses on the defensive side of the ball in potential scoring shootouts with more competitive teams. The 49ers have alternated wins and losses since Week 3, which explains why they’re stagnant in our rankings.”
Pro Football Talk – The 49ers jump four spots to #14
After the Rams dismantled the 49ers’ defense in Week 10, it’s safe to say the 49ers would love another crack at their division rivals. The after-game chirping from the Rams definitely heightens the tension between the two teams. Mike Florio of PFT believes the same thing.
“They’d love nothing more than to have another shot at the Rams in the playoffs.”
The Ringer – The more SF plays, the less I believe
Now that quarterback Brock Purdy is back, this offense is set up to play well down the stretch. The defense, though, remains a question. That unit seems to be surviving on the back of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s play calling alone—and that might not be enough to keep this team viable.
It feels like the two forces—an ascending offense and a threadbare defense—are pulling at one another. Can the offense lift up a struggling defense enough to make the playoffs? Or will this defense drag the team down? We’ll learn a lot about this team next week against the Panthers, in a game it absolutely can’t lose if it wants to stay safe and comfortable in the NFC race.
NFL.com – The 49ers crack the top ten with a three-spot jump
Eric Edholm of NFL.com believes any QB controversy is dead after Purdy’s showing on Sunday.
“Well, the QB controversy feels dead for the time being. Brock Purdy returned to action from his long hiatus and looked sharp, throwing for three TDs — including an early beauty to George Kittle — with only seven incompletions in an effective day. Seeing Purdy and Kittle together for the first time since Week 1 was a reminder of just how wildly injuries have sunk into this team. The 49ers took control of the game from the opening kickoff, although some quirky special-teams failures kept the score closer early on. It certainly was a strange affair, as Arizona outgained San Francisco by more than 200 yards with the Niners’ defense back on its heels in protect-the-lead mode for most of the second half. The 49ers face a challenge on Monday against the suddenly relevant Panthers, but the playoffs are feeling more likely after Sunday.”
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