The San Francisco 49ers returned to the win column with a 34-24 victory over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, improving their record to 6-3.
Sunday's performance was one of the most balanced showings of the season for San Francisco. Quarterback Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes—one to running back Christian McCaffrey and another to wide receiver Jauan Jennings. McCaffrey and running back Brian Robinson Jr. also added two rushing touchdowns, powering the 49ers' offense to an impressive road win.
Unfortunately, the 49ers couldn't escape MetLife Stadium without another injury on one of the NFL's most criticized playing surfaces. Rookie defensive end Mykel Williams suffered a season-ending torn ACL late in the game—another blow to an injury-marred 2025 campaign.
Next up for the 49ers is a crucial NFC West showdown against the Los Angeles Rams (6-2) at Levi's Stadium—a matchup that could have major implications in the division race.
How does the national media view the 49ers compared to the rest of the league? Below is a roundup of the latest NFL power rankings, highlighting where San Francisco currently stands in each. As always, the highest rankings are listed first.
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 11
Previous Ranking: 11
"The 49ers used the Giants to get Mac Jones and Christian McCaffrey rolling to protect their defense. Brock Purdy may be back as early as next week, but Jones has done a bang-up job to keep them in division-winning contention." — Vinnie Iyer
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 11
Previous Ranking: 12
"All Mac Jones has done is keep the 49ers relevant during the Brock Purdy–injury saga. The least someone can do is ensure he's included in the dance." — Conor Orr
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 12
Previous Ranking: 13
"Significant injuries have rocked San Francisco's defense, with first-round pick Mykel Williams' torn ACL the latest blow. It was tough enough to lose Fred Warner and Nick Bosa for the season, but now the defense has to wonder where the pressure will come from with the emerging Williams abruptly sidelined. Defensively, they were good enough against the Giants, with the offense and special teams carrying the load after falling behind early. Mac Jones hit on his first 14 pass attempts of the game, and the Christian McCaffrey-Brian Robinson duo really kept the Niners on schedule. A good bounce-back game prior to the huge showdown vs. the Rams. Do the Niners have enough defensive juice to make it through the season?" — Eric Edholm
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 13
"Kyle Shanahan has turned Mac Jones into a solid quarterback, and the Niners deserve credit for keeping things afloat with Brock Purdy out and a slew of other injuries. Jones ranks 11th in the league in success rate. In 2023, his last year as a starter, he ranked 25th in that stat." — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 14
"Starter Brock Purdy hasn't played since Week 4, but the team hasn't cratered with backup Mac Jones under center. Even though San Francisco's offense is better off with Purdy, head coach Kyle Shanahan's current approach of playing ball-control football and minimizing possessions in games is working. If Purdy's turf toe injury will nag him all year, why would the 49ers risk bringing him back and aggravating the injury? Or risk Purdy losing and stirring up discourse that he should be benched?" — Diante Lee
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 14
Previous Ranking: 13
"The San Francisco 49ers just will not die. And while not many are mentioning him as a candidate, running back Christian McCaffrey should be in the MVP conversation. Because there's no way a Niners team that has been blasted week after week on both sides of the ball by injuries would be sitting at 6-3 ahead of a critical matchup with the Los Angeles Rams without him. In Sunday's road win over the New York Giants, McCaffrey touched the ball a whopping 33 times for 173 yards and two scores—one on the ground and one through the air. It's a theme, as the 29-year-old has regularly carried an offense filled with as many backups as starters. The question for the Niners is whether it's sustainable. McCaffrey's record of 229 touches already this season puts him on pace for a whopping 433 over a full campaign." — Gary Davenport
ESPN
Current Ranking: 14
Previous Ranking: 12
"The 49ers are 3-0 in the NFC West, and wins over the Rams and the Seahawks have given San Francisco a leg up in what figures to be a hotly contested divisional race. The Niners pulled off an upset over Los Angeles in Week 5, and if they can do it again this week, it would put them in prime position to make another run at the division crown and return to the postseason after a one-year hiatus." — Nick Wagoner
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 14
Previous Ranking: 13
"The 49ers lost yet another defensive player. First-round rookie Mykel Williams has a torn ACL. The 49ers are hanging around and that's a credit to them, but they need some help at the trade deadline to stick around in the NFC West race." — Frank Schwab
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 16
"Mac Jones has played well in place of Brock Purdy as the 49ers continue to find ways to stay in the NFC West race. How are they doing it?" — Pete Prisco
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 15
"Mac Jones is slowly but surely making the case to be the long-term starter." — Mike Florio
USA Today
Current Ranking: 16
Previous Ranking: 16
"RB Christian McCaffrey now has 16 career games in which he's rushed for a TD and found the end zone on a reception. The Niners might need him to have another eight like that this season in order to remain competitive." — Nate Davis