The 49ers weren’t in a good spot two weeks ago following a bad loss to Colt McCoy in the Cardinals. They fell to No. XX in the USA TODAY NFL power rankings where the phrase “stick a fork in the 49ers” was used. Now after two wins over the Rams and Jaguars San Francisco has climbed all the way back to No. 16 with a chance to make a leap coming again in Week 12.
A return to relevance by the 49ers does come as a bit of a shock, but it was never completely off the table. Their win over the Rams was an upset but we’ve seen Kyle Shanahan and this group upset the Rams before. Going to Jacksonville and winning as handily as they did on a short week was also not a gargantuan surprise coming off a dominant showing against the Rams.
It should be noted though that these two wins do not make the 49ers’ season. They just got back to .500 and at 5-5 find themselves tied with the Vikings and Saints for the final two playoff spots. A loss to Minnesota on Sunday would be a significant setback and would reprise some of the sizable question marks that once lingered over this iteration of the 49ers.
San Francisco cannot be declared a playoff team just yet, and at this point it seems like a five-game losing streak is just as likely as a five-game winning streak. Whatever the 49ers are going into Week 12, they’re certainly not done.