How good are the San Francisco 49ers really? Heading into their Week 14 bye, they have nine wins—the same number as the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams, the two teams that would occupy the top seeds in the NFC if the season ended today.

At 9-4, the 49ers are currently projected as the No. 7 seed. However, they are expected to move up in Week 14 without playing, thanks to key head-to-head matchups between teams higher up in the NFC standings.


San Francisco is in the driver's seat when it comes to their playoff hopes. After the bye, the 49ers will host the Tennessee Titans, who have won just one game this season. Following that, they face a challenging stretch against the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks.

One Hall of Fame quarterback and 49ers legend, Steve Young, joined the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday and said he believes his former team is more than capable of making a postseason impact.

Young first praised head coach Kyle Shanahan for navigating an adversity-filled, injury-marred season while maintaining a strong team culture and strong locker-room leadership.

"And so, how good are they? Good enough to threaten, and make people really—you talk about a tough out," Young said. "And they're going to be in the playoffs. I think you can almost count on that. And so, who wants to play the 49ers? Nobody.

"So, for where they are with the personnel and what's happened, it's pretty remarkable. I think we've got to tip our cap to really everyone in the organization right now, to be 9-4."




Meanwhile, 49ers general manager John Lynch emphasized that the team stays focused on the next opponent and avoids looking too far ahead, even in a wide-open NFC. However, he likes his squad's chances down the stretch.

"And I think it's going to come down to who can have some good fortune in terms of being healthy at the right time," Lynch told Bay Area radio station KNBR. "But are you getting better each week? And that's one thing I'm really proud of our team, and I think Kyle has done an incredible job leading us. We're finding a way, in each phase, to get a little bit better each week.

"Regardless of what has happened in terms of injuries and whatnot, we're focused on: can we get a little bit better each week? And when you do that, we've got enough in our locker room, I believe, that we can contend."

Follow us on: X, Facebook, Threads, Instagram

Read Original Article
Visit 49ers Webzone

More San Francisco 49ers News