We had a fun NFL slate wrap up in blowout fashion on Monday night, as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos 31-10 to cap a memorable Week 1. There were some timely upsets, some close battles, and then some blowouts between good teams.
Kansas City had one of those games. The San Francisco 49ers had another when they beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 back on Thursday night in Australia, marking one of the best Week 1 wins on the slate (if not the best).
Heading into the season, the 49ers were viewed as the clear No. 3 team in the NFC West. After one week, they arguably look the strongest, with the Seattle Seahawks dealing with an injury to quarterback Sam Darnold.
Week 2 power rankings in the NFL were released by several publications on Tuesday morning. Let’s take a look at where the 49ers rank among the pack.
ESPN: No. 5
San Francisco jumped up four spots from No. 9 to No. 5 in ESPN’s Week 2 power rankings, although they remained third in the NFC West. Here’s the top five teams on their poll:
1. Buffalo Bills
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Los Angeles Rams
5. San Francisco 49ers
Despite the win over the Rams, the 49ers remained one spot behind them in the rankings. They also remained behind the Bills, who beat the Houston Texans 36-31 on the road in a thriller, as well as the Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens.
While the Seahawks (No. 2), Bills (No. 3), and Rams (No. 1) were all in the preseason top-five, the 49ers (No. 9) and Ravens (No. 8) both made considerable jumps after Week 1.
The Athletic: No. 1
The Athletic’s Chad Graff and Josh Kendall wasted no time anointing the 49ers at No. 1, pointing to their offense after the 27-7 beatdown last Thursday.
“After the franchise’s drama-filled offseason and with questions about the aging roster, the 49ers had no trouble moving the ball against the Rams. Brock Purdy threw for three touchdowns, the running game (including rookie Kaelon Black) looked good and Raheem Morris’ defense was great. It’d be hard to draw up a better start.”
Here’s how the top five looked:
1. San Francisco 49ers
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Buffalo Bills
4. Chicago Bears
5. Baltimore Ravens
The Rams fell from No. 1 to No. 6 here, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs, who jumped from No. 14 to No. 7.
FOX Sports: No. 7
Despite the marquee win, the 49ers didn’t move considerably here in FOX Sports’s power rankings, jumping just three spots from No. 10 to No. 7. Here’s all the teams ahead of them.
1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Chicago Bears
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Buffalo Bills
5. Los Angeles Rams
6. Cincinnati Bengals
All of these teams were ahead of the 49ers in FOX Sports’s preseason power rankings.
“They heard all the talk about the dream team Rams and became L.A.’s worst nightmare. If the Niners stay healthy, they actually could end up the best team in the dangerous NFC West,” FOX Sports’s Ralph Vacciano wrote.
USA Today: No. 2
The 49ers jumped up five spots in USA Today’s power rankings up to No. 2, trailing only the Seattle Seahawks, who beat the New England Patriots in the season opener without Sam Darnold.
“Their “Sleep tight” tweet served as the mic drop of Week 1 after the Niners, who were at least close to full strength after juggling so many injuries in 2025, stuck it to the apparently jet-lagged Rams in Australia,” USA Today’s Nate Davis wrote. “The NFC West is already shaping up as a three-way heavyweight bout once again, and the Niners − if healthy − have certainly shown they’ve got the goods to be a Super Sunday threat.”
Behind them were the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Rams.
The Niners definitely surprised most in Week 1, having strong play to go in the trenches to support their well-rounded team. Things are a lot different in Week 2, as they’ll host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, where they’re already a massive 13.5-point favorite.
