The 49ers’ run at the top of the USA TODAY NFL power rankings is over. They dropped one spot to No. 2 behind the Baltimore Ravens after Baltimore whacked the 49ers 33-19 at Levi’s Stadium on Christmas.
It was a dreadful performance for San Francisco where starting quarterback Brock Purdy tossed four interceptions, and backup QB Sam Darnold threw another late in the game. Despite the bad showing though, USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis still believes San Francisco can make a Super Bowl run:
Small picture? Not so happy holidays, and QB Brock Purdy likely watched any MVP aspirations go up in smoke. Big picture? Niners should be fine – and getting embarrassed Monday might just trigger a steamroll into Super Bowl 58.
That’s the bigger goal for San Francisco anyway. They want to be there in February playing for the Lombardi Trophy in Las Vegas.
It’s hard to picture that happening given how Monday’s game went, but they’re still an excellent team capable of bouncing back from a bad outing. A couple of wins to end the year to secure the No. 1 seed would wipe away the ugliness of Christmas night and still put the 49ers on track to begin their Super Bowl run in earnest.
