The 49ers needed 12 weeks to do it, but they made it into the top 5 of the USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings. With his 13-0 win over the Saints and the Dolphins suffering serious injuries, San Francisco moved up to his fifth spot and Miami dropped to his sixth spot.
Interestingly, the 49ers’ defense has been featured in a number of weapons, but it’s the defense that’s why they’ve overcome the ranking hump. Via Nate Davis of USA TODAY:
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The increasing array of offensive weapons in recent weeks has been very difficult to ignore.
That defense and scoreless second half run following a shutout against the Saints will be put to quite the test against the Dolphins on Sunday. How they perform in that game will give a very good gauge of the team’s chances of putting the defense on a deep run in the playoffs.
Before the Dolphins, the Chiefs were the 49ers’ defense’s biggest test of the year. Kansas City got whatever they wanted offensively, with him scoring 44 points in that game. Injuries may have played a role for San Francisco, but it was a spectacular blow to a defense that had been stellar up to that point.
How they tune up against Miami depends on whether this is a defense that ruins a mediocre offense, or just enough to work their own list of offensive playmakers and give them a chance to win the game. It will give us some clues as to how explosive offenses can be limited.
That said, it is still the aggression that needs to stretch the end of the negotiations. For the 49ers, one or two of his defensive hiccups don’t mean a loss. Everyone might look to his 49ers defense, but their offense keeps them in conversation with the league’s other Super Bowl prospects.