The San Francisco 49ers exit their bye week with a boost in the projected NFC playoff picture. They entered Week 14 sitting seventh in the conference, holding the final postseason spot if the playoffs began then. After Sunday's NFL action, however, San Francisco climbed to sixth place, all without taking the field.
Despite an injury-marred 2025 campaign, the 49ers have won three straight, most recently defeating the Cleveland Browns, and aim to carry that momentum into the final four games of the regular season as they look to improve on their 9-4 record.
Up next: the 49ers return to Levi's Stadium to host the Tennessee Titans. After that, they'll close out the regular season with matchups against the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and Seattle 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.
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 7
Previous Ranking: 8
"Worst-case scenario: Christian McCaffrey wears down. The 49ers running back is on pace to become the first NFL player ever with two seasons of 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 passing yards, but it's not coming easy. McCaffrey leads the league in touches (322). He's fifth in receptions (85) and third in rushes (237) despite only averaging 3.6 yards per carry. It's a grueling way to live, and it could cost him and San Francisco down the stretch." — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
ESPN
Current Ranking: 7
Previous Ranking: 7
"Most shocking statistical ranking: Eighth in scoring defense. It's not just that the Niners finished 29th in this category in 2024 (25.6 points allowed per game), this defense (20.7) is also finding ways to limit scoring despite missing star linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) and defensive end Nick Bosa (knee) for most of the season. The Niners rank in the bottom half of the league in most major defensive categories (expected points added, takeaways, yards per play, defensive efficiency and yards per play) but still have kept the team in most of its games. That has helped put the 49ers in prime playoff position for the stretch run." — Nick Wagoner
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 7
Previous Ranking: 8
"The 49ers didn't play and saw both the Rams and Seahawks win to go up ahead of them by a full game each. They will be a little healthier to be more complete for the stretch, starting with another game-well-game at Tennessee." — Vinnie Iyer
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 9
"They come off their bye with a soft schedule the next two weeks that should get them into the playoffs. They've navigated a ton of injuries to get here." — Pete Prisco
FOX Sports
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 9
"They can make it four straight wins when they return from the bye to face the lowly Titans on Sunday. But it gets real after that, at Indianapolis and home against the Bears and the Seahawks." — Ralph Vacchiano
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 8
"The league's most beat-up team rode into the Week 14 bye on a high, winning three straight, and you could make a strong case that having their week off earlier in the season might have helped more from a health standpoint. They're not going to get back any significant players from injury, and Kyle Juszczyk's status remains up in the air. That said, it's probably a great thing that San Francisco's stars -- especially workhorse Christian McCaffrey -- had a break. Winning out could actually give the Niners a shot at the No. 1 seed, and three of the final four are at home, with the lone road game (at Indianapolis) looking different following Daniel Jones' injury. Don't count San Francisco out, even with all the injuries." — Eric Edholm
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 9
Previous Ranking: 8
"The 49ers signed Mac Jones to a two-year, $8 million deal this offseason. With up to 11 NFL teams in need of a possible veteran bridge starter next year, does this look like one of the smartest contracts in recent NFL history?" — Conor Orr
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 9
Previous Ranking: 9
"The 49ers seemingly had three difficult games to end the season: at Colts, vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks. Daniel Jones' injury affects the NFC playoff race, too, because if Indianapolis can't magically find a quarterback down the stretch, that game becomes a lot easier for the 49ers. So would their path to a wild-card spot, which is remarkable given their injuries through the season." — Frank Schwab
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 10
Previous Ranking: 10
"They badly needed a break." — Mike Florio
USA Today
Current Ranking: 10
Previous Ranking: 10
"They're holding steady at No. 10 − and even moved up a spot in the wild-card standings during their much-needed bye week. The Niners are also just a game off the NFC West lead but only have one more divisional game (Seattle) while the Seahawks and Rams seem to face a tougher final month." — Nate Davis
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 11
Previous Ranking: 13
"The Niners entered their bye week on a three-game winning streak. San Francisco already endured the worst with the season-ending injuries to linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa. Quarterback Brock Purdy also missed multiple games. Yet the 49ers sit in a good position with a 9-4 record and upcoming games against the Tennessee Titans and Daniel Jones-less Indianapolis Colts. San Francisco could easily be 11-4 going into Week 17 with having a postseason appearance all but sewn up." — Brent Sobleski
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 14
Previous Ranking: 16
"The 49ers have a pair of upcoming games against the tanking Titans and wounded Colts, so they should be one of the first teams to secure a playoff spot without winning their division. Say what you will about their chances to contend for a title (which are basically zero), but the 49ers have overcome significant injuries on both sides of the ball to get here, and head coach Kyle Shanahan seems to have cooled any concerns about his job security. After this team's disastrous 2024 season, being cannon fodder in the NFC wild-card round probably won't feel so bad." — Diante Lee