Rich on Whether the 7-1 San Francisco 49ers are Still the Team to Beat in the NFC

Mike Evans couldn't get back on the field even after the bye. The San Francisco 49ers won anyway, and Rich thinks that says plenty about who is still the team to beat in the NFC.

"They have so many Hall of Fame players on this team," Rich said. "Future Hall of Fame players." On offense alone, he pointed to the running back, the left tackle and the tight end. So when Evans is out, the 49ers can lean on some serious players. Defensively, there's Fred Warner, and Nick Bosa coming back helps, as does getting DeForest Buckner back in the mix.

The Raiders came in with their youth and their winning streak, with Kirk Cousins throwing it around and Brock Bowers unguarded at one point. "You're kind of like, where did that one come from?" Rich said. "But at the end of the day the Niners took care of business."

That makes San Francisco 7-1. If Buffalo beats the Vikings on Monday night, the 49ers sit as the one seed with the Bears a half game behind.

Rich ran through the numbers. It's the 49ers' best start since 2019, the year they went to the Super Bowl. It's their fifth straight win coming off a bye. They have scored on every red zone drive this season, 22 touchdowns and four field goals, and the only other team to do that is Buffalo. They took the ball away five times in the second half, the most by any team since 2022.

The stars filled the stat sheet too. McCaffrey's 18th career game with both a rushing and receiving touchdown extended his NFL record, with nine now in San Francisco to match the nine he had in Carolina. He also passed Marshall Faulk for the most touchdown receptions by a running back since the merger, with 37. Brock Purdy became the fastest player to reach 100 passing touchdowns with the Niners. And blitzing him isn't working. Purdy has been blitzed on 43% of his dropbacks, and his 10 passing touchdowns against the blitz this season lead the NFL.

"Put it all together, man, and you got yourselves a seven and one team," Rich said.

Then came the postgame moment Rich had to narrate. Fred Warner finished his media availability with a ringing endorsement. "Brock Purdy is the best quarterback in the league. That's what he does," Warner said. "He gives us the best chance to win every single week. He's the reason why we got a chance to go get a trophy."

Then Warner introduced the next speaker. "You're up, buddy." Purdy walked in, dapped him up and took the stage. The reaction on set ranged from "That was cringe" to "That's pretty funny." The consensus: "They love Brock, man."

So did the 49ers recapture the crown as the NFC team to beat after the Bears deposed them for a week? Someone, Rich noted, will potentially have to go into that building and win a playoff game.

Not everyone agreed. TJ picked Green Bay. "It should be the Niners," he said, "but what the Packers did last night, and they're only going to get better with Micah. I'm going to pick the Pack."

Rich is staying put. He wants to watch the Vikings on Monday night but doesn't expect it to change his mind. "I'm going to stay with the Niners, with all due respect to everyone else," he said.

He gave the Bears their due. "The Bears could beat the Niners. If the Bears play like they did in Seattle, they could beat anybody." Someone pointed to the first quarter against Tampa Bay as well, before the turnovers.

"But I'll still take San Francisco," Rich said.