Two weeks ago, the 49ers passed a big test when they went down to Los Angeles and beat the Rams. On Sunday, they passed another test with flying colors when they crushed the Carolina Panthers 51-13.
If there was any doubt left about the 49ers, it's all gone. They are for real. They are 7-0 for just the second time in franchise history and the first time since 1990.
With so many tough games left on their schedule, including back-to-back road games in Baltimore and New Orleans, it's hard to imagine San Francisco running the table and going 16-0. So when will they lose their first game of the season?
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NBC's Football Night in America hosts discussed the topic on Sunday night.
"To me, that's where it's going to be. Those two road games," Tony Dungy said. "They'll be 11-0 going to Baltimore and New Orleans."
Before the 49ers face the Ravens, they play in Arizona and host Seattle, Arizona and Green Bay. If they win those four games, they'd be 11-0 before they head East.
The two games against the Cardinals should be easy wins. The games against the Seahawks and Packers, while both at Levi's Stadium, truly will test Kyle Shanahan's group.
San Francisco 49ers
"They look good. I just want to see the next couple of weeks how they handle success because they haven't been here," Rodney Harrison said. "They're going to have everybody talking about how great they are, they're heading to the Super Bowl. If they can handle success, they'll win those games they're supposed to win.'
Everyone expected the 49ers to be better this season, but no one expected them to be the best team in the NFC and one of only two undefeated teams remaining in the NFL. By now, everyone should be well-aware of just how good the 49ers defense is and how dynamic their running game is.
"Today they were playing a Panthers team that was 4-2 and had two weeks to get ready. They scored 51 points," Mike Florio said. "They've outscored the opposition 111-23 since the bye. It's amazing how good they are. And there's still that reluctance [to acknowledge how good they are] because I don't think we expected it. It's taken us a while to warm up to them.
"But I think they may run all the way until that New Orleans game. That's going to be a tough one for them to go into the Superdome and win. But I look at these games coming up and it would be an upset for them to lose any of them."
If the 49ers somehow make to through the Baltimore-New Orleans two-step with a pair of wins, they will be 13-0 with home games against the Falcons and Rams, and a regular-season finale in Seattle.
[RELATED: Grading 49ers' win over Panthers]
Can this 49ers do the unthinkable and go 16-0 in the regular season? Highly unlikely, but there is a path to perfection.
But as Dungy correctly points out, that East Coast road trip will be the biggest hurdle.