After a long offseason, the San Francisco 49ers traveled to Washington for a Week 1 battle with the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field and walked out with a 17-14 win and in a three-way tie for the top spot in the NFC West.
Entering the regular season, the 49ers weren’t seen as a juggernaut, but they also weren’t considered one of the worst teams in the league, battling for the top pick in 2026. With that USA Today’s Nate Davis placed the 49ers at No. 13 in his NFL power rankings heading into Week 1.
After the win, Davis released his updated power rankings on Tuesday, and San Francisco is still sitting at No. 13.
“Brock Purdy. George Kittle. Jauan Jennings. Talented-but-brittle Christian McCaffrey. No squad looks more like a M*A*S*H unit coming out of Week 1. Good time to catch the Saints. Probably,” Davis wrote.
Ahead of the 49ers entering Week 2 are the Denver Broncos (No. 12), Arizona Cardinals (No. 11), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 10), Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 9), Kansas City Chiefs (No. 8), Los Angeles Chargers (No. 7), Washington Commanders (No. 6), Los Angeles Rams (No. 5), Baltimore Ravens (No. 4), Green Bay Packers (No. 3), Buffalo Bills (No. 2) and Philadelphia Eagles (No. 1).
The Chargers were the only team that jumped San Francisco in the last week after beating the Chiefs 27-21 on Friday.
In Week 2, the 49ers will take on the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. With the Saints ranked at No. 31, a San Francisco win likely won’t do much to move them up in next week’s power rankings. However, a loss could be devastating.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers injury issues create question marks, outweigh win vs. Seahawks in NFL power rankings
Reporting by Mike Masala, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
