The San Francisco 49ers' 29-22 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday was a setback, pushing the team out of the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff race. San Francisco now sits at the No. 5 seed and is positioned behind the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West.
The good news is that the 49ers will regain the top spot should they win out. Those wins will have to come against two division opponents. San Francisco (11-3) hosts the Los Angeles Rams (8-6) at Levi's Stadium on Saturday before its regular-season finale in Seattle against the Seahawks (11-3) the next weekend.
Home-field advantage and a first-round playoff bye could be significant for the 49ers, who haven't had an extended break since their Week 4 bye.
Below is a sample of some of the more prominent power rankings around the web and where San Francisco currently stands within each.
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 4
Previous rank: 2
"It was a painful letdown game for Kyle Shanahan's team, but all is not lost. The Niners surrendered a temporary grip on the No. 1 seed and division lead, but the NFC West and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs can still be theirs with wins over the Rams and Seahawks in the final two weeks." — Dan Hanzus
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 3
Previous rank: 2
"The Niners have already established themselves as one of the NFC's best, so while it doesn't hurt that much, a late-season loss to the Falcons is kind of confusing. But aside from George Kittle's 134 from scrimmage, no San Francisco pass catcher topped 29 receiving yards, and the normally stout defense had no answers for Julio Jones while surrendering a pair of fourth-quarter TD drives to Atlanta." — The MMQB Staff
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 6
Previous rank: 2
"What happened against the Falcons? The once-dominant defense hasn't been as dominant the past few games." — Pete Prisco
ESPN
Current Ranking: 3
Previous rank: 2
"Defensive end Arik Armstead, safety Jimmie Ward and receiver Emmanuel Sanders are all set to become unrestricted free agents, and the Niners also need to sign defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and tight end George Kittle to contract extensions as they enter the final season of their rookie deals. Juggling all of that and maintaining flexibility figures to make for some tough choices this offseason." — Nick Wagoner
USA Today
Current Ranking: 4
Previous rank: 2
"First team in 15 years to feature three rushers each reaching 500-yard plateau. Niners only have two receivers with more than 500 yards." — Nate Davis
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