The San Francisco 49ers took advantage of their bye week here in Week 8, and they remain tied for the NFL’s best record with the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings heading into Week 9 at 6-1.
San Francisco suffered its first loss of the season in Week 7, as its injury-riddled team was unable to beat the Atlanta Falcons on the road in a 29-20 loss. Yet, entering Week 8, they were still considered the No. 1 team in the NFL by a few sources.
Now, heading into Week 9, has that changed? Let’s look at the latest NFL power rankings after another eventful week of games.
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 victory over the Baltimore Ravens last weekend.
We’ll get a really good look at the Bills this weekend, as they hit the road to take on the Minnesota Vikings this week in a 6-1 battle of teams.
Behind the Bills and 49ers are the Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears. The Jaguars moved from No. 6 to No. 3 after a 42-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The Broncos moved 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).
The 49ers actually moved from No. 3 to No. 2 over the bye week, with the Bills also going No. 1 here.
Last week, the 49ers were No. 3 behind the Bills and Vikings. Buffalo moved up one spot to No. 1, while Minnesota fell eight spots to No. 9 after losing to the Detroit Lions.
“San Francisco took the time off at the perfect time, spending the week off to process its first loss while hoping to welcome back a group of key contributors from injuries,” NFL.com’s Nick Shook wrote. “If the 49ers can improve their health, they should remain in first place for the foreseeable future.”
The Bears moved here from No. 9 to No. 3, while the Jaguars and Lions round out the top five. After them were the Broncos, Seahawks, Bengals, Vikings and Chiefs.
The 49ers remained here at No. 2 behind the Bills, as there were no changes at the top.
“The 49ers have the most impressive win collection in the NFL with victories over the Rams, Broncos and Seahawks,” wrote Josh Kendall and Chad Graff of The Athletic. “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 from No. 6 to No. 3, while the Bears and Chiefs round out the top five. These five teams were already in the top six last week. The only other team in this group, the Minnesota Vikings, fell from 4th to 8th place.
The Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 6), Detroit Lions (No. 7), Seattle Seahawks (No. 9) and Cincinnati Bengals (No. 10) round out the top ten.
The Niners moved from No. 5 to No. 3 here after dropping several spots last week following their loss to the Washington Commanders.
“The bye week really might be the best thing that happened to this beat-up team, as they definitely needed a chance to rest and get some people healthy,” wrote Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports. “Whether they did it remains to be seen, but at least no one else was hurt while watching TV last weekend (presumably).
“They bring the Raiders and Cowboys out of their hiatus, giving them a chance to return to action before back-to-back home games against the Vikings and Seahawks. Health is key for the Niners, though, and so far it’s been pretty bad.”
The Broncos moved from No. 4 to No. 2 here behind the Bills, while the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs round out the top five.
Here, the 49ers moved up one spot to No. 2 behind the Bills, who also moved up one spot.
“They just got a much-needed time off with some extra help up front thanks to the DeForest Buckner trade. This is a team that will make a strong Super Bowl push,” wrote Pete Prisco of CBS Sports.
Last week’s No. 1 team, Minnesota, fell to No. 6 after losing to the Lions. Meanwhile, the Jaguars moved into the top three here, while the Bears and Broncos rounded out the top five.
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