The San Francisco 49ers were decimated by injury earlier this season, significantly hurting their chances of getting back to the NFC Championship. However, as they got healthier, the 49ers brass made the bold move and added All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey to the backfield.

The move immediately vaulted San Francisco to favorites to win the NFC West, despite trailing the upstart Seattle Seahawks. But most of the general public has been under the impression that the Philadelphia Eagles were still the cream of the crop in the NFC. Well, according to ESPN staff writer Jeremy Fowler, that's not the case for the majority of AFC executives.

Per an anonymous poll among NFL executives, it's the 49ers and not the Eagles who were considered the favorites to reach the Super Bowl from the NFC.

One AFC executive acknowledged the importance for the Eagles to have home field advantage. But the 49ers still garnered the most votes. The 49ers are “battle tested and explosive playmaking on both sides of the ball,” an NFL personnel director said.

Philadelphia has the inside track on home field advantage and the first round bye that comes with it. They are 8-0 and hold a two game lead over the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. Meanwhile, the 49ers are 4-4 and 1.5 games behind the Seahawks out west.

But the jury is still out on exactly how good the Seahawks are. The 49ers, though, showed last year that they can win on the road in the playoffs. They went into Dallas and Green Bay and came out victorious. They led the eventual Super Bowl champions in Los Angeles late in the fourth quarter before losing the game.

If the 49ers can get healthy on defense, they should be a serious contender. But one has to wonder if the Eagles are not getting the respect they deserve.