The San Francisco 49ers turned in a gutsy shutout victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 12, winning their fourth consecutive game and earning a full-game lead atop the NFC West. The upcoming matchup may be among their toughest of the season, though. The 49ers are set to host their former offensive coordinator, now head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel, at Levi's Stadium in Week 13.
San Francisco lost running back Elijah Mitchell for the remainder of the regular season but still boasts one of the league's most talented rosters on both sides of the ball. Plus, four of the team's final six games are at home. What does the national media think about Kyle Shanahan's roster and chances down the stretch?
Below is a sample of some of the more prominent power rankings around the web and where San Francisco currently stands within each. The highest rankings are listed first.
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 3
Previous rank: 5
"The 49ers are an NFL superpower because they can thump you in different ways. Two Mondays ago in Mexico City, we saw what the offense can do when it's in a groove. On Sunday against the Saints, it was the defense's turn to flex its muscles in a 13-0 win. The Niners have not allowed a second-half point during their four-game winning streak, with opponents averaging a meager 10 points per game in that span. DeMeco Ryans' group will enter December as the No. 1 defense in the NFL in both yards and points allowed. The Niners have never finished a season atop both categories simultaneously in their rich history. There's something special cooking in Santa Clara." — Dan Hanzus
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 5
Previous rank: 5
"The 49ers enter Week 13 with the league lead in points allowed per game and yards allowed per play. They haven't allowed a point in the second half since Week 8; the next-best team, the Jets, have allowed 26 in that span. Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans should be a hot commodity for head coach vacancies after the 49ers' playoff run." — Austin Gayle
Current Ranking: 5
Previous rank: 5
"The 49ers shut out an opponent, which is not an easy thing to do in the NFL. They also showed, as we wrote Monday, that they are taking ugly winning to another level this season. I'm not sure they can be stopped unless defenses flood Garoppolo's checkdown options at the snap and dare him to throw deep, and throw quickly." — Conor Orr
USA Today
Current Ranking: 5
Previous rank: 6
"Their growing array of offensive weaponry the past few weeks has been awfully tough to ignore. But the strength of this squad is a top-ranked defense that hasn't given up a point after halftime since Week 7." — Nate Davis
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 6
Previous rank: 6
"With a sprained MCL landing Elijah Mitchell back on injured reserve, San Francisco will turn again to its No. 2 running back, Christian McCaffrey, who is averaging 88.6 yards from scrimmage in his five games with the Niners. As long as DeMeco Ryans' defense continues playing this well, the offense might not matter much. Sunday's much-anticipated Kyle Shanahan-Mike McDaniel teacher-student matchup will teach us a lot." — Bo Wulf
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 6
Previous rank: 7
"The defense is so good, it doesn't matter what they do on offense." — Mike Florio
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 6
Previous rank: 6
"DeMeco Ryans has to be a top coaching candidate this upcoming offseason. He is doing a great job as the 49ers' defensive coordinator. His energy is infectious and he is young enough to relate to players. As Charles Robinson pointed out on the latest "You Pod To Win The Game" podcast, he's also a Texans legend and Houston might have an opening after the season. Hmm." — Frank Schwab
Current Ranking: 7
Previous rank: 9
"The San Francisco 49ers are rolling. On a day when the offense wasn't exactly on fire and running back Elijah Mitchell went down with another knee injury, the defense came up big, allowing just 260 yards, forcing two turnovers and logging the franchise's first shutout since 2019. That included a pair of second-half goal-line stands, and star linebacker Fred Warner told reporters that the defense was on a mission." — NFL Staff
ESPN
Current Ranking: 7
Previous rank: 8
"The Niners haven't shied away from this being the objective, even going so far as to tell the world they believe they can [reach the Super Bowl] when they traded for running back Christian McCaffrey. Anything less would be considered a disappointment, with the question then becoming whether they can actually win it. Whether they can knock off a team like the Kansas City Chiefs is a different issue, but realistically, this team has everything it needs to at least be in the big game." — Nick Wagoner
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 7
Previous rank: 8
"The 49ers' defense is back to being a dominant force and the offense, even with limited scoring, can control a game. They fought hard to shut out the Saints and got prepped a little for the higher-octane Dolphins at home next week." — Vinnie Iyer
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 7
Previous rank: 9
"On a day when their offense wasn't quite working, the defense came up big against the Saints. Now they need to be even better against Miami." — Pete Prisco
