The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a decisive 37-8 victory over the NFC North-leading Green Bay Packers.
As the team shifts their focus to a huge matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, here's where members of the media have placed the 49ers in this week's power rankings:
Dan Hanzus, NFL.com: 1 (Last Week: 1)
"They're No. 1 in the Power Rankings for a reason. The 49ers welcomed one of the best teams in the NFL into their building and made the Packers look like an XFL expansion franchise. The Niners led 10-0 after one quarter and 23-0 at the half, but the most ruthless bit of domination came after Green Bay trudged down the field and finally cracked the end zone to get on the board in the third quarter. San Francisco answered Aaron Rodgers' 13-play, nearly nine-minute march with a two-play, 75-yard siege that culminated with George Kittle's game-icing 61-yard touchdown. One can imagine Rodgers watching that play unfold with serious tight end envy. The Packers won't admit as much, but the last thing they want to do is return to Levi's® Stadium for a playoff rematch. It's the type of butt-whipping that leaves mental scars with the opposition."
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 1 (Last Week: 3)
"The 49ers finally got their Sunday night showcase for their breakout season and unleashed all their strengths, including a nasty pass defense, a powerful running game and big plays in the passing game. Kyle Shanahan is your coach of the year, and John Lynch should also be the executive of the year."
NFL Staff, Bleacher Report: 2 (Last Week: 2)
"If you like statement wins, the San Francisco 49ers certainly provided one, burying the Green Bay Packers in Santa Clara in an impressive victory that established the Niners as the NFC's best team.
It's not just that the 49ers beat the Packers. The Niners positively demolished an 8-2 Packers team. There wasn't a facet of the game where the 49ers didn't destroy the Pack. Offensively, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was nearly perfect, and the team averaged over five yards a carry. Defensively, San Francisco sacked Aaron Rodgers five times and limited him to 104 passing yards. Green Bay had fewer than 200 total yards of offense.
The Niners and Ravens are essentially No. 1 and No. 1A at this point. The two clubs have set themselves head and shoulders above the rest of the NFL. After watching the 49ers dismantle a very good Packers team, I had to bump them up. But then the Ravens obliterated the Rams on Monday night, so I changed my mind. It will be settled on the field soon enough at any rate."
The MMQB Staff, Sports Illustrated: 2 (Last Week: 3)
"The 49ers dominated what is supposed to be one of their toughest NFC foes come January, further solidifying this is the team to beat in the NFC (I know, Seahawks fans, but they're winning your division too). It's thanks to a defense that would be leading the league most other seasons, and they completely shut down Rodgers while holding the Packers' 13-ranked offense under 200 total yards."
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: 2 (Last Week: 4)
"Sure, they face a tough schedule. The teams that will be facing them have it even tougher."
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports: 3 (Last Week: 3)
"It's possible that the 49ers or Seahawks could go 13-3 and be on the road in the first playoff weekend as a wild-card team. Both teams have tough tests coming up before they meet again in Week 17 so it's likely there's a loss or two coming for each team, but it's pretty wild that the 49ers are 10-1 and can't feel like a division title is in the bag."
NFL Nation Staff, ESPN.com: 3 (Last Week: 3)
"The Niners have shocked the football world by jumping out to a 10-1 start. Though the defense has been the focal point, it has taken a complete effort from the players and coaches to make it happen. This is a team that has unwavering confidence in what it can do when all three phases complement one another, which has yielded a group that looks every bit the part of a legitimate Super Bowl contender."
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 3 (Last Week: 3)
"They just beat the daylights out of the Packers. They dominated in every facet of the game. They are legit, but we'll know how legit after they play at Baltimore and at New Orleans."
Lindsay Jones, The Athletic: 3 (Last Week: 4)
"Watching the 49ers come out and almost immediately steamroll the Packers on Sunday night was really impressive. Usually we hate a prime-time blowout, but the 49ers are just really fun to watch right now. From Kyle Shanahan's creative offensive play calling to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's sideline antics to that pass rush's relentless pressure, we didn't want to stop watching."
Nate Davis, USA Today Sports: 3 (Last Week: 5)
"Despite the most impressive showing of the season, won't be easy retaining NFC's top seed with trips to Baltimore, New Orleans and Seattle looming."
