“They are the clear new team to beat in the NFC”: Where the 49ers stand in Week 18 power rankings

If the San Francisco 49ers win on Sunday and the Philadelphia Eagles lose, the 49ers will be the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. A win by both teams means San Francisco will own the No. 2 seed. However, a Niners loss and a Minnesota Vikings win drop San Francisco to the No. 3 seed.

There is a lot at stake for the 49ers in Week 18. Few teams could overcome the adversity of losing two starting quarterbacks over the course of a season, finding a way to push forward with not just a rookie quarterback but the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Brock Purdy is no ordinary rookie, though. The quarterback has managed to do enough to keep the 49ers’ win streak—now at nine games and hopefully going on ten—alive.

San Francisco came close to seeing that streak end on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders but found a way to overcome a deficit and emerge with a 37-34 overtime win.

“Obviously, I think it’s something that we really needed and what I needed. Just some adversity, especially on the road,” Purdy said this week on KNBR.

The 49ers close out the regular season with a game at Levi’s Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals. After that, we’ll find out how much this team has learned in overcoming the adversity of the 2022 season. That’s when the real fun begins.

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.

Note: Some publications did not release power rankings this week.

NFL.com
Current Ranking: 1
Previous rank: 1
“Nick Bosa did it again. A week after bolstering his Defensive Player of the Year candidacy with a game-wrecking performance against the Commanders, Bosa pressured Jarrett Stidham into an overtime interception, ultimately allowing the 49ers to squeeze past the Raiders and extend their winning streak to nine. The defense made the play in crunch time, but it was also an off day for the typically dominant unit, as Vegas rolled up 500 yards of offense. This feels like more of a blip on the radar than cause for alarm, but it would be nice to see the Niners get back to their stingy ways in their final regular-season tune-up against the Cardinals. San Francisco can still claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a win and an Eagles loss to the Giants on Sunday.” — Dan Hanzus

Sporting News
Current Ranking: 2
Previous rank: 4
“The 49ers remained the hottest team in the NFL, answering every challenge from the pesky Raiders all the way through winning in overtime because of a big defensive play. The Christian McCaffrey pickup has been better than anyone could have expected. They are the clear new team to beat in the NFC.” — Vinnie Iyer

Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 2
Previous rank: 4
“The 49ers weren’t going to blow everyone out by double digits. It was still impressive to win a game with a still-unproven rookie quarterback when the defense surprisingly gives up 34 points to Jarrett Stidham. With the Eagles’ loss on Sunday, the 49ers are still in play for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.” — Frank Schwab

CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 3
Previous rank: 5
“They found a way against the Raiders, but the defense was exposed some. The defense is too good to play like that. Brock Purdy continued to play well.” — Pete Prisco

ESPN
Current Ranking: 3
Previous rank: 4
“Regular season in five words or fewer: Slow start and big streak. The 49ers stumbled out of the gate to a 3-4 start when they struggled to find an offensive identity. But the midseason acquisition of running back Christian McCaffrey transformed the offense and the season. The Niners are 9-1 since acquiring McCaffrey, with the lone loss coming only a couple of days after his arrival, in a game in which he had a limited role. Now, San Francisco is riding a nine-game winning streak, the longest by any Niners team since 1997.” — Nick Wagoner

USA Today
Current Ranking: 3
Previous rank: 4
“Now riding a league-best nine-game hot streak, though lucky to get out of Las Vegas with a win Sunday, the Niners haven’t even had WR Deebo Samuel for their three most recent victories.” — Nate Davis

Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 4
Previous rank: 5
“Someone forgot to tell Brock Purdy that playing in the NFL is supposed to be hard. Sunday in Las Vegas, Purdy threw for 284 yards and two scores to lead the 49ers past the Raiders for San Francisco’s ninth consecutive victory. It was the fifth straight game in which Purdy threw multiple touchdown passes—the longest such streak by a 49ers quarterback in over two decades. Not bad for ‘Mr. Irrelevant.'” — NFL Staff