Saturday, November 6, 2021

San Francisco 49ers Week 9 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2021 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the San Francisco 49ers rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 18.2 (T-17th)
  • Best ranking: 17th (Multiple)
  • Worst ranking: 20th (Multiple)

Below you will find a Week 9 roundup for the 49ers in our consensus 2021 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 17

Biggest Achilles' heel: The turnover battle

There are plenty of things we could discuss here, but let's keep it simple: The Niners are minus-6 in turnover differential, which is fourth worst in the NFL through the first eight weeks. This is actually the perfect choice because it points to deficiencies on both sides of the ball and it's the single stat that most correlates to winning. The offense has 11 giveaways, the defense has just five takeaways and the Niners have been on the positive side of this stat just once in seven games. Given that, it's no surprise that San Francisco sits at 3-4 right now. -- Nick Wagoner

NFL.com -- Rank: 17

Where would the 49ers be without Deebo Samuel? With George Kittle sidelined and Brandon Aiyuk stumbling through a sophomore slump, Samuel has been the one consistent on an otherwise inconsistent offense in San Francisco. Frankly, Samuel's greatness feels overlooked when we talk about the best wide receivers in football. Chew on this: Samuel is the only wideout with three 150-yard receiving games this season, and he just passed Jerry Rice to set a franchise record for the most receiving yards (819) in the first seven games of a season. The Niners scored on their final seven possessions on Sunday against the Bears, and Samuel was at the center of everything.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 20

Jimmy Garoppolo played well against the Bears, showing that he should be the guy at quarterback. They looked like the 49ers we expected to see in that game as they ready for a big division game against the Cardinals.

USA Today -- Rank: 20

Niners host NFC West rival Cardinals and Rams next two weeks, a stretch that could make or break San Francisco's season.

The Athletic -- Rank: 17

How's the head coach? Did Kyle Shanahan read the tweets and listen to the podcasts (subscribe to "The Athletic Football Show"!) critical of his recent play-calling and decision-making? The 49ers ended their four-game losing streak Sunday in Chicago after a really nice performance from both Shanahan and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who did his best Trey Lance impression in scoring two rushing touchdowns. Ultimately, we'll view Shanahan's 2021 success (and beyond) based on what happens with Lance, but for now, this was exactly what Shanhahan needed.

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