The San Francisco 49ers head into their bye week on a high note, securing their third straight victory with a dominant 26-8 win over the Cleveland Browns. While the 49ers remain firmly in the NFC playoff picture, they still need some help to climb the NFC West standings as the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks continue to hold the top spots.
"I love where we're at right now," head coach Kyle Shanahan said after Sunday's win. "I believe we'd be in the playoffs today if it started, and we've got four more games left to make sure we continue that. It's been a long wait for a bye week."
Coming out of the break, the 49ers will host the Tennessee Titans in Week 15 before facing a challenging three-game stretch to close the season: the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and Seahawks.
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.
ESPN
Current Ranking: 7
Previous Ranking: 9
"X factor for final stretch: Returner Skyy Moore. Moore's emergence over the past month has played a crucial role in San Francisco's special teams turnaround. He ranks fifth in the NFL in yards per kick return (28.1) and 11th in yards per punt return (12.1). He has nearly scored on one of each and has said repeatedly it's just a matter of time until he takes one all the way. The Niners need contributions from all over the roster in order to make up for what they've lost to injury, so Moore could be particularly important down the stretch." — Nick Wagoner
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 11
"It can't get much worse for the 49ers injury-wise, right? Now with a week to get healthy, they will be a scary opponent in December as Robert Saleh has this banged-up defense playing well." — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 9
"Not taking anything away from Kyle Shanahan, but I really think Robert Saleh hasn't received the proper praise he's due for keeping the 49ers' defense in the shape it's in. After losing arguably their three most irreplaceable defenders -- Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams -- for the season, the Niners have played far more respectably on defense than not. They might have allowed 42 points to the Rams in Week 10, but the past three 49ers opponents have only totaled 39. And so, with wins over Arizona, Carolina and Cleveland, they find themselves in prime playoff position with four games left -- and a well-deserved bye this week to get a little healthier. Brock Purdy followed up his three-INT game in Week 12 with a zero-turnover performance in the poor weather in Cleveland, as the Niners' offense, defense and special teams all delivered big plays. All signs point toward a return to the postseason." — Eric Edholm
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 11
"The 49ers passed a tough defensive test at Cleveland with Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey doing what was needed. Their own defense has put it together post-injury mess of late, too." — Vinnie Iyer
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 13
"While it was the Panthers and Browns, the 49ers allowed 17 points in two weeks, spearheading San Francisco toward its ninth victory. This was the same Carolina team that edged the Rams on Sunday with a breakthrough performance on clutch downs. San Francisco's defense is equally clutch and carrying this team toward a wholly unexpected playoff performance." — Conor Orr
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 9
Previous Ranking: 14
"Kyle Shanahan for Coach of the Year. This team, with all the injuries, is 9-4 heading to their bye. Amazing." — Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 9
Previous Ranking: 13
"Maybe it's time to start a push for Kyle Shanahan to win NFL Coach of the Year. The 49ers have played a significant amount of games without Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, George Kittle, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, among others. They're still 9-4 and in good shape to make the playoffs." — Frank Schwab
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 10
Previous Ranking: 12
"If they finish first or second in the division, Kyle Shanahan deserves serious consideration for coach of the year." — Mike Florio
USA Today
Current Ranking: 10
Previous Ranking: 14
"They'll only leave Silicon Valley once more in the regular season and, at 9-4, the Niners are very much in the mix to snag home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs." — Nate Davis
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 13
"The San Francisco 49ers just keep winning. Granted, the Niners had help in Cleveland Sunday—from the Browns. On a day where the San Francisco offense barely cracked 250 yards of offense, a combination of turnovers and special teams consistently gave the 49ers short fields—all three of the 49ers' touchdown drives were under 40 yards. But that's the thing about these 49ers. Give them an opportunity, and they will take advantage of it. The team has been dealing with adversity all season long. Both sides of the ball have been ravaged by injuries—especially a defense with a patchwork front-seven that somehow continues to play well. Plenty of teams would fold under the weight of everything that has gone wrong. The 49ers will hit the bye week within half a game of first place in a brutal division. And with the Colts, Bears and Seahawks still on the schedule, San Francisco will have to be as resilient as ever down the stretch." — Gary Davenport
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 16
Previous Ranking: 17
"Can anyone give me one memorable moment from the 49ers' current 4-1 stretch? This team has played itself into a comfortable position in the NFC wild-card race, but three of its next four opponents are the Colts, Bears, and Seahawks. Losing all three of those games would open the door for Detroit or Dallas to swoop into the NFC's final playoff spot." — Diante Lee
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