The San Francisco 49ers have been sitting atop the NFL’s power rankings for a few weeks now, as they remain just one of three unbeaten teams in the league.
That remained true after Week 6, as the 49ers escaped by the Washington Commanders 23-17 in a game that went down to the final plays as the defense made a stand. San Francisco really struggled to generate offense without Mike Evans, while Jayden Daniels threw for 300 yards against the 49ers defense, leading to a closer game.
Nonetheless, San Francisco
is 6-0, becoming the lone team in the NFL to win six games thus far. Given how close the game was and how other teams fared this weekend, did the 49ers get docked in the power rankings this week?
Let’s look at several Week 7 power rankings to see the consensus.
ESPN: No. 1
The 49ers remained the top team here as they remain one of the teams without many actual flaws with their play. When highlighting the team’s biggest issue on offense so far, the answer was clear: receiver injuries.
“The Niners haven’t had many problems in terms of production, but they have had a significant amount of attrition at wideout,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote. Ricky Pearsall (knee), De’Zhaun Stribling (ankle), Christian Kirk (calf) and Demarcus Robinson (ankle) were supposed to be four of the team’s top five receivers and all landed on IR before Week 3.
“That doesn’t account for Deebo Samuel Sr.’s multiweek hamstring injury or the various bumps and bruises Mike Evans played through before departing Monday night’s game with Achilles tendinitis. The good news? Most of them are expected back this season, but the 49ers have had to scramble in the meantime.”
Behind the 49ers were the Kansas City Chiefs, who improved to 5-0 off a dominant win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Rounding out the top five were the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
NFL.com: No. 1
NFL.com’s Nick Shook did note that there could be some question to San Francisco’s standing atop the rankings after the win, but kept them at No. 1 still after six weeks over the Chiefs.
“San Francisco flirted with an epic collapse, but the same battered defensive line came through again in the final moments, sacking Jayden Daniels to bury Washington’s comeback bid,” Shook said. “The fashion in which this game ended might cause some to question the 49ers’ standing atop the Power Rankings; we often fail to remember, however, that there are professional football players on both sides (and the Commanders feature a dynamic quarterback in Daniels).
“Kyle Shanahan’s propensity for letting things get a little too close for comfort reared its unwelcome head again, but San Francisco finished the job like a proven winner usually does. Let’s not allow the anxiety-inducing fourth quarter to overshadow how dominant the Niners were earlier in the game. They’re undefeated and keeping the throne.”
Behind the 49ers were the Chiefs, Bills, Vikings, and Jaguars. Complete unity here with ESPN’s list with the exact same top five.
CBS Sports: No. 1
It was simple here for CBS’s Pete Prisco, as the 49ers found a way to win again.
“They made it interesting against the Commanders, but they still found a way,” Prisco wrote. “Now they face a long road trip to play the Falcons on a short week.”
There was a slightly different top five here, as the Chiefs, Vikings, Bills, and Denver Broncos followed. The Broncos offense has been a big story, but they’re 4-2 after facing one of the tougher schedules in the NFL to start the season.
FOX Sports: No. 1
The Niners remained at No. 1 here as well, with FOX Sports’s Ralph Vacciano lauding the team’s depth following the injuries, while pointing out they’re clearly the best team in the NFL so far.
“The 49ers are held together at times by Band-Aids and gauze tape, but there’s no question they’re the best team in football a third of the way through the season,” Vacciano wrote. “They need a rest, especially after WR Mike Evans reinjured his Achilles on Monday night, joining WR Deebo Samuel, WR Christian Kirk, edge rusher Nick Bosa and more on the sideline.
“But they’re so deep and so good, they can sleepwalk through wins — like they seemed to do at times in the second half Monday night when they nearly blew their game against the Commanders. Now they just have to get through Atlanta to hit their bye week undefeated and see if they can get some of their walking wounded back after that.
The Niners will be favored again this week on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, giving them a chance to go 7-0 entering their bye week, where they can get healthier and acquire reinforcements through the trade market. So far, so good here for San Francisco.
