The San Francisco 49ers beat up on the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams this past weekend, winning their eighth consecutive regular-season game against the division rival. And they did so without starters Deebo Samuel, Kyle Juszczyk, Arik Armstead, and Dre Greenlaw.
The Niners beat the Rams 31-14.
The 49ers expect to get several players back after the bye week. That, paired with head coach Kyle Shanahan's new toy, running back Christian McCaffrey, has one online publication calling the Niners' offensive weapons "a dream scenario for San Francisco—and a nightmare for opposing defenses."
For once, the 49ers didn't suffer any in-game injuries. They enter the much-needed bye week looking to get healthy and make a run in the second half of the season, much as they did last season.
"I think we need this bye week," Shanahan said on Monday. "We need to rest up a little bit and, hopefully, get some guys back. Right when we get it going a little bit, it's always tough to take some time off, but I do think we need it just for our health and stuff."
Below is a sample of some of the more prominent power rankings around the web and where San Francisco currently stands within each.
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 4
Previous rank: 14
"What we saw on Sunday against the 49ers was just the beginning. I care less about the fact that Christian McCaffrey threw a touchdown pass than I care about watching the Rams react defensively. The play itself was somewhat telegraphed (and obviously backward to allow the second throw), but the entire defense over-pursued, fearing McCaffrey's ability to torch the defense after the initial catch." — Conor Orr
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 5
Previous rank: 10
"You're not wrong for feeling like the 49ers are the league's least predictable team week to week. They rank 32nd in Football Outsiders' variance, which measures the consistency of their performance. Despite a 4-4 record that might indicate they play coin-flip games, only one of their eight games has been decided by one score, and only two have been decided by single digits." — Bo Wulf
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 5
Previous rank: 12
"All the pundits who criticized the 49ers' trade for Christian McCaffrey got real quiet on Sunday. CMC became the first running back since 2005 -- and just the third since 1970 -- to register a rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown and passing score in the same game, a 31-14 beatdown of the Rams at SoFi Stadium. The Niners continue to dominate their rivalry with the defending Super Bowl champions: San Francisco has now won eight consecutive games over the Rams in the regular season. A narrow loss in the 2021 NFC Championship Game can't be overlooked, but the 49ers clearly appear to be the better, more complete team right now." — Dan Hanzus
USA Today
Current Ranking: 7
Previous rank: 10
"They'll play four of five at home on the other side of a much-needed bye. Fully healthy, this could well emerge as the team to beat in the NFC." — Nate Davis
Current Ranking: 8
Previous rank: 13
"The San Francisco 49ers sent a message to the rest of the NFC on Sunday. The Niners may only be 4-4 right now, but this team is dangerous. In fact, with Christian McCaffrey in the fold, the San Francisco offense has the potential to be terrifying. ... Mind you, the 49ers rolled the Rams without having star wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who missed the game with a hamstring injury. By the time the team gets back from the bye week, the Niners should have Samuel back, at which point they will have arguably the NFL's two most versatile offensive weapons lining up together. It's a dream scenario for San Francisco—and a nightmare for opposing defenses." — NFL Staff
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 8
Previous rank: 11
"Christian McCaffrey hit for the cycle with a passing, receiving, and rushing touchdown in the 49ers' 31-14 win over the Rams on Sunday. Already a major focal point of the offense, McCaffrey played more than 80 percent of the team's offensive snaps and led the team in target share (35 percent) in just his second game in a 49ers uniform. He's exactly what Kyle Shanahan and the Jimmy Garoppolo–led 49ers offense needs: Another positionless player with elite yards-after-catch ability. McCaffrey, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Kyle Juszczyk all raise the ceiling for an offense desperate to limit Garoppolo throwing downfield and into harm's way. No offense in the NFL averages more yards after the catch per reception (6.91), and Garoppolo ranks first in EPA per attempt on throws made within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. He ranks 18th in the same statistic on throws of 10 or more air yards." — Austin Gayle
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 8
Previous rank: 12
"Imagine this offense once Deebo Samuel is healthy. Christian McCaffrey is one of the true difference-making running backs in the NFL. If the offense and defense could get reasonably healthy, the 49ers' ceiling is at least an NFC championship. They're that talented." — Frank Schwab
ESPN
Current Ranking: 9
Previous rank: 14
"The Niners relied so heavily on their defense in the first five weeks of the season that some regression was only natural once that group got bit by the injury bug. But the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey in hopes it would bolster the offense enough to make up for whatever drop-off the defense might suffer. Now, the Niners enter the second half of the season with McCaffrey, receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, running back Jeff Wilson Jr. and tight end George Kittle. Running back Elijah Mitchell and fullback Kyle Juszczyk are expected to come back after the bye week. That's a whole lot of firepower for QB Jimmy Garoppolo." — Nick Wagoner
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 10
Previous rank: 15
"The team we saw beat up the Rams is a Super Bowl contender. They did it all after falling behind early, which is a sign of a good team." — Pete Prisco
Current Ranking: 10
Previous rank: 15
"Christian McCaffrey walked this way to San Francisco and it was the Run and Pass and Receive CMC show to make up for no Deebo Samuel in L.A. The 49ers proved exactly why they wanted him as another explosive cog for their offense." — Vinnie Iyer
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 12
Previous rank: 16
"If their key players can stay healthy, they can win it all." — Mike Florio
