Former NFL wide receiver turned NFL Network analyst, James Jones, this week came out with his list of the top teams in the NFC, and the San Francisco 49ers came in at No. 5.
No, this isn't a list of the top teams in the NFL. It is a list of the top teams in the NFC.
The 49ers, of course, own the best record in the conference and are just one of two NFL teams sitting at 9-1. The New England Patriots are the other.
Here is Jones' list of the top 5 teams in the conference. San Francisco can do a lot to change the analyst's mind in the coming weeks. The team will face two of the four squads listed above it in the next three weeks, including Sunday night's matchup against Jones' No. 1 team, the Green Bay Packers.
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Green Bay Packers | 8-2 |
| 2 | Seattle Seahawks | 8-2 |
| 3 | New Orleans Saints | 8-2 |
| 4 | Minnesota Vikings | 8-3 |
| 5 | San Francisco 49ers | 9-1 |
Why are the 49ers listed so low within Jones' ranking? It all has to do with the team's quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, who the analyst doesn't have a lot of faith in.
"I'm not a big believer in him yet," Jones said. "He has to keep showing me that he can do that (possibly referring to Garoppolo's career-high 424 yards on Sunday)."
Jones added: "And the reason why I've got this list like this, when you look at all these teams, all of them have very good defenses. So when you get in the playoffs, and you come down and you talk about the best teams in the National Football League, it starts with the quarterback. This guy (Garoppolo) right here is probably the fifth-best quarterback in this top 5 right there. And these other ones, I believe in more than Jimmy G."