Don’t look now, but the 49ers are back.
All the autopsies being done on the Niners in the wake of back-to-back blowout losses to the Seahawks and Colts and the ugly Aldon Smith situation last month look silly now that Jim Harbaugh’s team has bounced back with three consecutive routs of their own.
Fresh off a 32-20 AFC West throttling of the Cardinals, the Niners improved two spots to fourth in The Post’s NFL Power Rankings and appear poised to move even higher over the next seven weeks thanks to a schedule that looks soft on paper.
San Francisco plays just one home game between now and Dec. 1, but three of those trips are to Titans, Jaguars and Redskins — clubs that either reeling or downright awful. And that lone contest at Candlestick Park is against the Panthers, who are the NFL’s mystery team — certainly capable of getting run out of the building on any given Sunday.
Colin Kaepernick’s sophomore inconsistency is still an issue, but the 49ers have righted their ship with a recommitted running game, a healthy Vernon Davis catching passes and a defense that is forcing turnovers in bunches despite what is looking like a potential season-long absence by Smith, their gifted young pass rusher who is in a rehab treatment facility.
San Francisco is giving up a lot of yards lately, but has forced four turnovers in each of its past two games (victories over the Texans and Cardinals). And the offense could soon be playing with as much confidence as the defense with former Giants receiver Mario Manningham and top wideout Michael Crabtree expected to return from injuries in the next month.
It was silly in hindsight to even think about writing off the defending NFC champions after a 1-2 start. That thought looks even sillier now.
(Last week’s rankings in parentheses)
1. Broncos (1): NFL storylines don’t get more compelling than Peyton returning to The House That Peyton Built.
2. Seahawks (4): Still only one loss, but something seems off after their third struggle in a row.
3. Chiefs (5): How big has the pass rush been? KC already has more sacks in six games (31) than it did all last season (27).
4. 49ers (6): Back on track after two early losses, but four of their next five are on the road.
5. Bengals (7): A resilient little team that won’t wow you in too many places except the win column.
6. Packers (8): The good news: The last time Green Bay was this besieged by injuries, they won the Super Bowl.
7. Patriots (9): You get the feeling Tom Brady could take a high school team and win games in the NFL.
8. Saints (2): Nothing good ever happens to a road team in Foxborough that turns conservative late, Sean Payton.
9. Lions (12): Dance, Joseph Fauria, dance.
10. Bears (13): They’re 4-2, but it’s an ugly 4-2. And struggling to beat the winless Giants didn’t make it any prettier.
11. Colts (3): Did they get caught Monday night in San Diego looking ahead to Peyton’s return?
12. Ravens (10): Every bit as average as 3-3 would indicate, but that might be enough to win the AFC North.
13. Eagles (18): Doing what they’re supposed to do now that the schedule’s turned soft for a month.
14. Cowboys (19): Not having DeMarcus Ware or DeMarco Murray is probably going to matter a lot more Sunday in Philly than it did last week against Washington.
15. Titans (11): A surprisingly gritty team, but that hasn’t gotten them very far the past two weeks.
16. Chargers (21): After getting sacked a whopping 49 times last year, Philip Rivers has been sacked just 12 times in six games this year. Mystery solved.
17. Dolphins (17): A bye meant the offensive line went a whole week without giving up a sack. Hey, it’s a start.
18. Rams (22): They’re 3-3 despite a minus-13 point differential. That’s not the recipe to make the playoffs.
19. Jets (14): The only predictable thing about this team is its unpredictability.
20. Browns (15): Well, the good times were fun while they lasted.
21. Cardinals (16): Fifteen turnovers in six games? Yikes.
22. Panthers (28): Blowout winners one week, blowout losers the next. Can anyone figure this team out?
23. Steelers (29): Don’t read too much into the first victory. This is still a flawed, injury-riddled team.
24. Raiders (23): Going nowhere, but at least they’ve found a quarterback in Terrelle Pryor.
25. Falcons (24): Unfortunately, their defense didn’t get any younger during the bye week.
26. Bills (25): No quarterback and a brutal schedule the next three weeks (Dolphins, Saints and Chiefs) portends disaster.
27. Texans (20): They’ve thrown a pick-6 in each of the past five games. How is that even possible?
28. Redskins (26): Too many RG3-and-outs.
29. Vikings (27): You know you’re bad when “Josh Freeman to the rescue” is an actual concept.
30. Buccaneers (30): Greg Schiano is going to have a lot more opposing Victory formations to attack before this season is over.
31. Giants (31): That first victory probably won’t come for a while if they can’t beat the Vikings at home this week.
32. Jaguars (32): Maybe beating the spread against the Broncos was a start.