The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed their bye week here in Week 8, and they remain tied for the NFL’s best record with the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings going into Week 9 at 6-1.
San Francisco had their first loss of the season back in Week 7, as their injury-riddled team couldn’t beat the Atlanta Falcons on the road in a 29-20 loss. Still, going into Week 8, they were seen by a few sources as the No. 1 team in the NFL still.
Now, going into Week 9, has that changed? Let’s look at the latest NFL
power rankings after another eventful week of games.
ESPN: No. 2
The 49ers fell one spot from No. 1 to No. 2 in ESPN’s power rankings, with the Buffalo Bills claiming the top spot after a 36-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens this past weekend.
We’ll get a very good look at the Bills this weekend, as they hit the road to face the Minnesota Vikings this week in a battle between 6-1 teams.
Behind the Bills and the 49ers are the Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, and Chicago Bears. The Jaguars jumped from No. 6 to No. 3 after a 42-7 blowout of the Indianapolis Colts. The Broncos jumped from No. 8 to No. 4 after their 28-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, who fell out of the top five from No. 4 to No. 6. And the Bears moved from No. 7 to No. 5 after beating the Seattle Seahawks 34-17 on Monday Night Football.
The rest of the top 10 includes the Vikings (No. 7), Seahawks (No. 8), Lions (No. 9), and Bengals (No. 10).
NFL.com: No. 2
The 49ers actually moved up a spot from No. 3 to No. 2 on the bye week, with the Bills being No. 1 here as well.
Last week, the 49ers were No. 3 behind the Bills and the Vikings. Buffalo moved up one spot to No. 1, while Minnesota fell eight spots to No. 9 after their loss to the Detroit Lions.
“San Francisco hit the bye at the ideal time, spending the week off processing its first loss while hoping to welcome back a collection of key contributors from injury,” NFL.com’s Nick Shook wrote. “If the 49ers can get healthier, they should remain in the top tier for the foreseeable future.”
The Bears jumped here from No. 9 to No. 3, while the Jaguars and Lions rounded out the top five. Following them were the Broncos, Seahawks, Bengals, Vikings, and Chiefs.
The Athletic: No. 2
The 49ers stayed at No. 2 here behind the Bills, as there was no change at the top.
“The 49ers have the NFL’s most impressive collection of wins with victories over the Rams, Broncos and Seahawks,” The Athletic’s Josh Kendall and Chad Graff wrote. “But the last time we saw this team, Mike Evans was out with an Achilles injury and Christian McCaffrey was slowed by a hamstring issue. As always, coach Kyle Shanahan is at the mercy of the gods.”
Here, the Broncos moved up from No. 6 to No. 3, while the Bears and Chiefs rounded out the top five. These five teams were already in the top six last week. The only other team in that group, the Minnesota Vikings, dropped from No. 4 to No. 8.
Rounding out the top ten here was the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 6), Detroit Lions (No. 7), Seattle Seahawks (No. 9), and the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 10).
FOX Sports: No. 3
The Niners moved up from No. 5 to No. 3 here after dropped several spots last week following their loss to the Washington Commanders.
“The bye week really might be the best thing that happened to this battered team, because they sure did need a chance to rest and get some people healthy,” FOX Sports’s Ralph Vacchiano wrote. “It remains to be seen if they did, but at least nobody else got hurt while they were watching TV this past weekend (presumably).
“They get the Raiders and the Cowboys coming out of their break, giving them a chance to ease back into action before back-to-back home games against the Vikings and the Seahawks. Health is the Niners’ key, though, and so far that’s mostly been bad.”
The Broncos moved from No. 4 to No. 2 here behind the Bills, while the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs rounded out the top five.
CBS Sports: No. 2
Here, the 49ers moved up one spot to No. 2 behind the Bills, who also moved up one spot.
“They come off a much-needed bye with added help up front thanks to the DeForest Buckner trade. This is a team that will make a strong Super Bowl push,” CBS Sports’s Pete Prisco wrote.
The No. 1 team last week, Minnesota, fell to No. 6 after their loss to the Lions. Meanwhile, the Jaguars jumped into the top three here, while the Bears and Broncos rounded out the top five.
