Power Rankings: 49ers Maintain Lead in the League in Week 16………….
In Week 15, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 45-29 on the road to maintain their winning streak into the late season. Another crucial step in the team’s last-ditch playoff drive was secured with the victory over Arizona, which wrapped up the division for a second straight season. San Francisco, which leads the conference standings and has the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles both losing this week, was given some leeway in Week 15, but there won’t be much time to unwind as the AFC’s top team visits Levi’s® Stadium this week. To wrap off their 2023 regular season rivalry with AFC North teams, the 49ers will play the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night
With two of their starting interior defensive linemen, Arik Armstead (foot/knee) and Javon Hargrave (hamstring), dealing with lingering injuries and fresh ones following the Cardinals game, including third down specialist Jauan Jennings (concussion), starting corner Deommodore Lenoir (rib contusion), and several others, health will once again be the 49ers’ top priority going into their Christmas Day matchup
It’s encouraging to defeat a division rival on the road by 16 points despite a respectable but unspectacular performance; it very well might have been more. The 49ers are cruising toward the top seed in the conference after securing the NFC West. The 49ers’ postseason preparation will be much enhanced by this coming Monday’s game against the Ravens; but, they would be better off hoping that DTs Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead can recover from their injuries, since their absence against the Cardinals hurt the team’s run defense. Against the 49ers, Arizona ran for over 100 yards in each half, with their two greatest gains of the game (49 and 44 yards) being on the ground. That’s a big component of Baltimore’s winning strategy
“The score is the most important factor, but the Niners top the NFL in many other significant statistics. San Francisco leads Dallas, which is in second place, by 24 points with a plus-191 record for the season. Furthermore, the 49ers haven’t only been dominating the NFL’s worst teams. They have defeated teams with a combined record of 86 points, including the Cowboys, Eagles, and Jaguars. All eleven of the Niners’ victories would have been by double digits if not for the Rams’ meaningless last-second field goal in Week 2.
They have already secured the division, and it appears that they will also receive the first seed in the conference. This week’s Ravens game promises to be a physical battle
