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The San Francisco 49ers impressed plenty of NFL pundits with a decisive, 24-3, victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. The Niners have moved up in this week's NFL power rankings after preventing an NFC West opponent from scoring a touchdown for the second-straight week.
Ryan Van Bibber of SB Nation has the 49ers as No. 5 in his Week 9 NFL Power Rankings. Van Bibber has been impressed with the way San Francisco took care of business and seized control of the division:
5. San Francisco 49ers (LW: 6, 6-2): "Jive turkeys" can "gobble, gobble" all they want, but the 49ers rolled up two NFC West opponents in a row. This team is healthy and has a week to soak out the aches and pains of the season so far.
ESPN has the Niners even higher, slotting them at No. 4. CBS's Pete Priscoe agrees with Van Bibber, and puts the 49ers at No. 5 in his rankings.
The 49ers now have a bye week after a strong finish to the first half of the season. San Francisco gets two weeks to prepare for a third-straight NFC West foe, as they take on the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 11.