The San Francisco 49ers continued stacking up wins on Sunday, this time beating the Seattle Seahawks 32-29 in a thriller that went down to the final possession.
Playing banged up offensively, the 49ers were able to capitalize on mistakes more in a seven-turnover game, as they improved to 5-0 and remained unbeaten atop the NFC West.
While the 49ers improved, the Rams and Seahawks lost, creating a wider gap in the divisional standings going into Week 6. With the changes in the NFL this past week, let’s
take a look at the industry’s power rankings for Week 6.
ESPN: No. 1
“Under new coordinator Raheem Morris, the Niners rank fifth in yards per play allowed (4.7) and have limited big plays as well as any team in the league,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote. “But they have struggled to get off the field consistently. The Niners rank 20th in third-down defense, giving up a first down on 40.8% of their opportunities. As a result, their defense has been on the field for 31 minutes, 12 seconds per game, which ranks 23rd in the NFL.”
Rest of top five: Chiefs, Bills, Seahawks, and Jaguars.
The 49ers’ main area to improve is their third-down defense, where they rank 20th in the NFL. But apart from that, even with all the injuries, they’ve been doing plenty to rack up wins.
NFL.com: No. 1
San Francisco remained No. 1 on NFL.com’s power rankings of the week, and NFL.com’s Nick Shook also pointed out the defense, but in a more positive light.
“There’s something special cooking within San Francisco’s defense, a unit that has every excuse to be average, at best, but continues to exceed expectations,” Shook wrote. “While the final score (32-29) doesn’t suggest it, Sunday’s win in Seattle was a defense-driven victory — and a big one for the team’s confidence as a true Super Bowl contender.”
Rest of top five: Chiefs, Seahawks, Ravens, and Jaguars.
There seems to be a consensus on the Chiefs, who are also undefeated and coming off their bye week. Meanwhile, most remain extremely high on the Seahawks, which only further validates the 49ers win on Sunday.
The Athletic: No. 1
Just like the two above, the 49ers are the top team in The Athletic’s weekly power rankings, with their resume standing out through five games.
“No team has a better resume than the 49ers, who overcame a rare so-so game from Brock Purdy in Seattle,” The Athletic’s Chad Graff and Josh Kendall said. “This time, it was San Francisco’s defense that led the way, limiting the Seahawks to just 4.2 yards per play. Oh, and Mike Evans and George Kittle certainly do not look like they are 33 years old.”
It’s a good sign that the 49ers are winning in different ways, especially considering they will have a gauntlet schedule to end the season.
Rounding out the top five were the Chiefs, Bills, Vikings, and Jaguars. Despite being 1 of 3 5-0 teams, the Vikings haven’t seen much love in the power rankings ahead of Week 6, but they did here.
Sports Illustrated: No. 1
The 49ers were actually No. 5 in the rankings last week, and moved up all the way to No. 1 in Connor Orr’s power rankings.
“The 49ers lead the league in wins…and players who are on injured reserve,” Orr wrote. “I heard a theory on Monday while making calls that stuck with me: the teams that are at the biggest advantage in the NFL are the ones with continuity at head coach, playcaller and quarterback over a multi-year period, especially during a season in which 10 head coaching jobs shifted this offseason. The steadiness of the Shanahan-Purdy partnership is shining.”
Rounding out the top five were the Jaguars, Chiefs, Bills, and Seahawks.
CBS Sports: No. 1
The 49ers remained the top team in CBS Sports’s Pete Prisco’s weekly power rankings, and he believes this could be their year for a Super Bowl.
“San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan hasn’t won a Super Bowl. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a great coach,” Prisco wrote. “If last season, in which he won 12 games with an injury-ravaged team, didn’t prove how good he is at leading the 49ers, this year is doing just that. The 49ers are 5-0 after going to Seattle and beating the Seahawks on Sunday, doing it with a defense leading the charge, rather than the Shanahan-led offense.
“The 49ers limited the Seattle running attack, forced four turnovers, one of which was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, and had five sacks, the most they’ve had in a game since 2024. They did it without star pass rusher Nick Bosa. First-year defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is using a much more aggressive scheme than past Shanahan coordinators, and it’s showing up in takeaways and sacks. The coverage is tighter. Combine that with Shanahan’s offensive wizardry and an MVP-type start for quarterback Brock Purdy, and it’s easy to understand why the 49ers sit atop my Power Rankings. Going to Seattle and beating the defending champs sends a loud message to the rest of the league. This team is really good.
“As for Shanahan, his greatness as a coach might not truly be earned until he wins a Super Bowl. That’s just the way it is. He came close when his Jimmy Garoppolo-led 49ers had a lead against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV after the 2019 season, only to see Patrick Mahomes rally to win it. They came close again four years later in Super Bowl LVIII, with
Purdy and Co. pushing Mahomes and the Chiefs to overtime before losing. This team, provided it stays healthy, has a real shot at getting back there for Shanahan. For now, they are the league’s best team with a schedule that might not be as tough as expected before the season. Plus, they already have victories over division rivals in the Rams and Seahawks. This could be Shanahan’s year to win one.“
Rounding out the top five here are the Chiefs, Vikings, Jaguars, and Bills.
