The San Francisco 49ers started the season with an impressive 5-0 record. They have since suffered two consecutive losses, with the latest defeat coming Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings.
Once hailed as the team's strength, the 49ers defense surrendered a season-high of 452 total yards. Kirk Cousins completed an impressive 77.8 percent of his passes for 378 yards, marking season highs for the Vikings quarterback.
Quarterback Brock Purdy, who had been interception-free in his initial five games, has now thrown three interceptions in the last two matchups. The most recent interception occurred as the 49ers offense was driving down the field, hoping to secure a game-winning touchdown.
A mere two weeks ago, San Francisco held the unanimous No. 1 position in power rankings, underscoring the team's early-season dominance. What does the national media think about the Niners' roster compared to the rest of the league now?
Below is a sample of some of the more prominent power rankings around the web and where San Francisco currently stands within each. As always, the highest rankings are listed first.
ESPN
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Rank: 1
"Young riser: CB Deommodore Lenoir. After a disappointing start to last season, the 24-year-old played like one of the best cover corners in the league last postseason and spent the offseason working on playing the deep ball better. Going into Monday night, that work has paid off. Among cornerbacks with at least 100 coverage snaps, Lenoir is tied for 14th in passer rating allowed (67.7) and eighth in EPA when targeted (-12.0), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He also has two interceptions and hasn't allowed a touchdown. All of that puts Lenoir in position to get a nice payday as soon as this offseason, when he's first eligible for a contract extension." — Nick Wagoner
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Rank: 1
"Week 6 in Cleveland, Brock Purdy earned credit after a tough day for putting the 49ers in a position to win, even if that didn't happen. Monday night in Minnesota was shaping up as perfect redemption, but it ended in a nightmare. Purdy was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter on a pair of errant throws, with the latter ending the Niners' comeback attempt in painful fashion. That's now two straight losses after the 5-0 start, and both the Browns and Vikings were able to prevail despite missing key offensive pieces. With Purdy's two picks and Christian McCaffrey's second lost fumble in three weeks, the 49ers' defense had to be razor-sharp on Monday -- and it wasn't. What an unexpected turn, and now the rested Bengals come to Levi's Stadium on Sunday." — Eric Edholm
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Rank: 1
"It's October. It's not time to panic just yet. San Francisco still has the deepest, most talented roster in the sport (and, notably, they were missing Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams on Monday). But the 49ers have been here before in the Shanahan era, with an incredibly talented roster but a big question mark at quarterback. Purdy has played well in enough games now that he deserves some insulation from criticism, but San Francisco fans are surely having flashbacks to another game they lost on an interception: Super Bowl LIV." — Austin Gayle
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Rank: 1
"It's refreshing, albeit puzzling, to see a night where the 49ers' pass rush can't take out one of the more stationary quarterbacks in the NFL, and Brock Purdy looking completely rattled. The 49ers were never going to go undefeated, but in back-to-back weeks they've looked decidedly human and now have the Bengals looming post-bye. Much like the Lions, it's startling how merely-above-average they look when the rushing offense isn't working full throttle. All that said, this will be a blessing in disguise for Kyle Shanahan, who knows the bye week will be about readjusting." — Conor Orr
USA Today
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Rank: 1
"Won't ding them too hard for losing two in a row on the road – and without WR Deebo Samuel and LT Trent Williams for a good chunk of those setbacks. Still, QB Brock Purdy has looked decidedly human with three turnovers the past two weeks, his first two regular-season defeats, including his first multi-interception game in the NFL on Monday night." — Nate Davis
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Rank: 1
"Brace yourself, because you're in for another week of Brock Purdy debate after he threw two fourth-quarter interceptions with Monday night's game on the line. The 49ers are still very good and could still be the best team in the NFL. They're just imperfect, like the rest of the league." — Frank Schwab
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 4
Previous Rank: 2
"Even though San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy won his first 10 regular-season starts, there was no shortage of criticism of the second-year pro. He was just a 'system quarterback' being propped up by all the talent around him. ... It's going to be that much harder to drown out the naysayers now. Purdy was outplayed by Kirk Cousins of the Vikings Monday night. He threw a pair of bad interceptions, including one that sealed the game. It's hardly time to press the panic button—but for the first time in a long time, the 49ers have dropped consecutive games. And if Purdy and the team struggle Sunday against a rested Bengals, the hand-wringing is really going to kick into high gear." — NFL Staff
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 4
Previous Rank: 3
"The 49ers need to navigate through more big offensive injuries around Brock Purdy, but their defense remains a strong foundation and they have plenty still in the running game and special teams to recover from consecutive stumbles in Cleveland and Minnesota." — Vinnie Iyer
Touchdown Wire
Current Ranking: 4
Previous Rank: 3
"That's two losses in a row, and two losses where Brock Purdy has played poorly. If that's what he looks like when even one of his Pro Bowl weapons is gone, that's a problem." — Jarrett Bailey
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Rank: 2
"Say what you will about Deebo Samuel being sidelined, but the 49ers' biggest absence (literally and figuratively) Monday night was left tackle Trent Williams. With the 6-foot-5, 320-pounder on the sideline because of an ankle injury, San Francisco rushed for a season-low 65 yards and had a season-worst minus-4.95 in rush EPA, according to TruMedia. Williams was limited for much of last week's game against Cleveland by the injury, and the Browns had a pressure percentage of 50 percent." — Josh Kendall
Pro Football Network
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Rank: 2
"Jim Schwartz has Kyle Shanahan's number, but the 49ers also suffered a rash of untimely injuries against the Browns' defense a week ago. As they entered a Monday night matchup against the Vikings, they were second in offensive EPA and third in defensive EPA. But the Vikings loss was another example of how volatile the NFL is. It's a week-to-week league played by unreliable human beings. But it will be interesting to follow how Brock Purdy bounces back from his last two performances." — Dalton Miller
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Rank: 4
"They've lost two straight games, and the defense was gutted by the Vikings. Now here come the Bengals and Joe Burrow." — Pete Prisco
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Rank: 4
"That dominance has disappeared, quickly." — Mike Florio
Comments