The San Francisco 49ers didn’t play in Week 8, but the bye week still came with a little movement in the latest NFL power rankings. After entering the break tied for the league’s best record at 6-1 with the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco stayed near the very top across the board - even after its first loss of the season in Week 7, a 29-20 defeat at the Atlanta Falcons.
The biggest question heading into Week 9 was simple: did the Niners slide after sitting out? The answer, mostly, was no.
ESPN dropped San Francisco one spot, from No. 1 to No. 2, with Buffalo taking over the top position after its 36-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Bills now get a major test this week against the Vikings in a matchup of 6-1 teams.
ESPN’s top five after that included the Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, and Chicago Bears. Jacksonville climbed from No. 6 to No. 3 after a 42-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts, Denver jumped from No. 8 to No. 4 after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 28-24, and Chicago moved from No. 7 to No. 5 after a 34-17 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.
NFL.com was even kinder to San Francisco. The 49ers moved up from No. 3 to No. 2 there, with Buffalo at No. 1 and Minnesota tumbling from No. 3 to No. 9 after its loss to Detroit.
“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 Athletic kept the 49ers at No. 2 behind the Bills, and the write-up leaned into both what San Francisco has already done and what still hangs over it. “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.”
FOX Sports had the Niners moving up from No. 5 to No. 3 after their drop the previous week following the loss to Washington. Ralph Vacchiano pointed to the timing of the bye as a possible reset for a battered roster.
“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,” 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.”
CBS Sports also kept San Francisco near the top, moving the 49ers up one spot to No. 2 behind Buffalo. Pete Prisco wrote: “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.”
In Other News...
Brock Purdy And Mike Evans Are Becoming A Real 49ers Weapon
The 49ers spent their bye week watching the standings break their way, with a Minnesota loss pushing San Francisco into the NFC's top seed and adding a little more weight to what has already been a strong season. One of the reasons the offense has stayed so dangerous is the growing connection between Brock Purdy and Mike Evans, a pairing that has quickly become one of the more efficient quarterback-receiver combinations in the league.
Even with Evans missing time because of Achilles tendonitis, the two have been remarkably productive when they have been on the field together, and the numbers back up the eye test. Purdy has found Evans for chunk gains and timely completions at a rate that has kept drives alive and defenses on edge, a useful wrinkle for a team trying to protect its place at the top of the conference as the season enters its stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Bye Week Could Put Several Current Roles In Jeopardy
The bye week often gives a coaching staff a chance to take stock, and for the 49ers it could mean a few crowded position groups get even tighter when they return. Several current roles appear vulnerable based on health and recent performance, with Colby among the players whose standing is under the microscope if his play does not pick up after the break.
Elsewhere, the ripple effect could hit Cowing, Valdez, Brown and White as the roster gets healthier and new pieces settle in. The bigger question is how much room there will be once the 49ers start sorting out snaps again, because some of these jobs may not just shrink, they could disappear from the weekly game plan altogether. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Have A Clear Path To The Top Seed If They Survive This Stretch
The 49ers head into the second half with the NFCs top spot in hand and a 6-1 record, but the schedule after the bye is where the real work begins. San Francisco still has a run of games that will demand attention from start to finish, including matchups with the Raiders, Cowboys and Vikings, and the margin for error gets thinner once the calendar flips into the stretch that tends to separate contenders from pretenders.
There is plenty of reason for the 49ers to feel good about where they stand, especially with the way the standings have broken in their favor so far. Still, the next phase is less about the record they already own and more about how they handle a series of opponents that can make life uncomfortable in different ways, from tricky venues to teams that have a history of making these kinds of late-season games matter. [Read more 🡒]