Why Whitner deems 49ers as top NFC team after shellacking Cards

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The 49ers have put many NFC teams on notice that the team is beginning to peak at the right time following their 38-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on "Monday Night Football" at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

San Franciso has won three straight games after its 3-4 start to the 2022 NFL season. Furthermore, the 49ers are getting healthy, and against the Cardinals, their arsenal of talent on both sides of the ball was on display.

As a result, there's plenty of hype surrounding the 49ers right now, and NBC Sports Bay Area 49ers analyst Donte Whitner feels that the thrashing of Arizona has catapulted San Francisco to the top of the NFC. 

"After Monday night's shellacking of the Arizona Cardinals, I'm gonna go and say it now the 49ers are the best team in the NFC and I don't think anybody wants to play them," Whitner said during his "Hitner's Hot Take" segment. 

"The 49ers' DNA is physical running style, hard nose defense, get out to your quarterback. And Jimmy Garoppolo is playing the best football of his career ... If the 49ers continue to play this way, you can go ahead and punch their ticket in Scottsdale, Arizona."

Whitner isn't alone in riding the 49ers hype train throughout the second half of the season, as ESPN NFL analyst Troy Aikman also is on San Francisco to come out of the NFC this season

"I'm a huge buyer of the 49ers, and I have been all season, and I have been for the last several years, quite honestly," Aikman said. "And a big reason for that is because of Kyle Shanahan.

"They play a style of football that you just don't see around the league. It's an old-school style. I'm not surprised by that, knowing Kyle's background with his dad and running the football, but they are physical."

RELATED: Trent Williams drops perfect snake analogy to describe 49ers' stellar defense

The 49ers face off against the New Orleans Saints at Levi's Stadium on Sunday as they look to extend their winning streak to four games. 

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