The San Francisco 49ers are truly up ahead in the NFC West. Despite a win by the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, the 49ers really have very few things to worry about when it comes to their trip to the playoffs this season. But more than that ... more than the 49ers finally making the playoffs after such a long drought, they're a force to be reckoned with against any team in the NFL at this point. And that's reflected in the stats.
Overall, their 6-1 record is the second-best in the NFL, behind only the unbeaten Green Bay Packers. Power rankings have them at number two and number three around the 'net, and they're officially a team to pay attention to. Defensively, the 49ers rank at the top in a couple different categories. San Francisco has allowed the least amount of rushing yards in the NFL (514), and the least amount per game (73.4). Make the jump for some other notes.
They've gone 29 consecutive games of not allowing a 100-yard rusher. No running back has had a rush of more than 15 yards against the 49ers, either.
Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that they've allowed the least amount of points in the NFL as well, at 107 on the season. Their average of 15.3 points allowed per game is also a league high. What's that old saying about defense and winning championships? As a side-note, if you wanted somebody to make fun of, look no further than Merril Hoge, who insists the 49ers aren't that good. He uses the NFC West as an example, even though the 49ers have earned just one of their six wins from an NFC West opponent.