A big win over the Bears doesn't seem to have changed critics' minds about the 49ers this season.
The 49ers beat the Bears 38-13 on Sunday, but the Bears have lost seven games in a row and they recently fired their head coach, so they might be the worst team in the NFL. Beating them isn't much of an accomplishment at this point in this season.
And that's why the 49ers climbed just three spots to 17th in The NFL Network's Week 15 power rankings.
"Sunday's win over Chicago was a bittersweet reminder that the 49ers at peak performance level are as good as virtually any other team out there," writes NFL.com analyst Eric Edholm. "So they were missing several key players. No matter -- they stormed the Bears from the opening whistle and only let up a little in the second half of a blowout win. It was a taste of what could have been this season. And yeah, San Francisco is still technically alive, but barely. Speaking of bittersweet developments, Isaac Guerendo was terrific Sunday, scoring two touchdowns, running hard and even logging some big catches, excelling in a way that made it easy to imagine Kyle Shanahan envisioning a role for the rookie, who has played really well when he's had the chance. Naturally, he left the game late with what was believed to be a sprained foot, which usually means missed time. Just a microcosm of the season, isn't it?"
Here's my question: If Sunday's win over the Bears showed a glimpse of what the 49ers could have been this season, then is their injury issue overblown? After all, they still have George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Brock Purdy.
Or did they just beat a terrible team?
You tell me.
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