The San Francisco 49ers fell to 1-1 on the season after a tough 23-17 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. Despite boasting one of the most talented rosters in the NFL and having Super Bowl aspirations, the 49ers face mounting challenges. The team placed star running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve this past weekend, sidelining him for at least four games.
To make matters worse, wide receiver Deebo Samuel suffered a calf strain late in Sunday's loss and is expected to miss the next couple of weeks, leaving the 49ers without two of their most dynamic offensive weapons.
San Francisco will look to bounce back against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
What does the national media think about the 49ers compared to the rest of the league? Below is a sample of some of the most prominent power rankings from around the web, showing where San Francisco currently stands in each. The highest rankings are listed first.
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 2
Previous Ranking: 2
"The 49ers seemed sleepy early on Sunday, having a punt blocked, turning the ball over on downs twice and surrendering a 97-yard TD pass before getting back in the game a little. Brock Purdy was sacked six times and had two turnovers, but I am far more concerned about the defense. Fred Warner was his usual Superman self, and Nick Bosa had two sacks, but the rest of the unit played uninspired ball against a Minnesota offense missing several key characters by game's end. The Vikings kept killing San Francisco with third-down conversions, and the game might have been uglier had they converted two more red-zone trips into touchdowns. When their defense is up against it, too much of the 49ers' formula depends on Purdy being robotically efficient, and that just didn't happen on Sunday." — Eric Edholm
ESPN
Current Ranking: 3
Preseason Ranking: 2
"Most important backup/role player: WR Jauan Jennings. As the No. 3 receiver, the Niners lean on Jennings to do the dirty work and deliver when it matters most. He has earned the trust to handle blocking duties from outside receiver to de facto tight end. Since the start of last season, Jennings has a run block win rate of 84.8%, well above the league average (79.2%) for receivers in that span. If that's not enough, he has also earned the nickname "Third and Jauan" for his ability to move the chains. Fifty-five of his 85 career receptions have gone for first downs with 34 of those coming on third or fourth down." — Nick Wagoner
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 4
Previous Ranking: 2
"When Deebo Samuel Sr. was injured last season, he missed most or all of three games and San Francisco went 0-3. It's not a coincidence. It's easier for the 49ers to replace a great talent like Christian McCaffrey than Samuel because of the receiver's unique skills. They'll miss Samuel as he's out for a while with a calf injury." — Frank Schwab
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 6
Previous Ranking: 3
"After the San Francisco 49ers dispatched the New York Jets with relative ease in Week 1, the belief by many was that the team would experience similar success in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings. But after allowing over 400 yards of offense and a two-turnover performance from quarterback Brock Purdy, the Niners left the Twin Cities trying to figure out what went wrong in a six-point loss." — NFL Staff
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 6
Previous Ranking: 3
"Brock Purdy wants to be dominant this year. The 49ers were a forced fumble at the goal line away from being dominated on Sunday." — Mike Florio
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Ranking: 4
"It feels a bit foolish for a team with so many Pro Bowl players on the roster to be so reliant on a running back, but it sure missed Christian McCaffrey's presence—both as the player Brock Purdy turns to in order to soften an opposing defense and as a guy who is seemingly unstoppable in the red zone. What we saw in Week 2 is that when Purdy doesn't have McCaffrey as an underneath option, he's forced to hold the ball longer than he'd like and try to push it downfield into tighter coverage windows. Against Minnesota, that led to a bad interception and a strip sack. For now, I advise you to take a break from watching the McCaffrey-less 49ers offense and simply enjoy all-world linebacker Fred Warner. His interception and forced fumble in Week 2 show that he's one of the best linebackers of all time and one of the coolest players to watch leaguewide." — Diante Lee
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 6
Previous Ranking: 2
"Minnesota continues to be a house of horrors for San Francisco. Brock Purdy won't want to return there for a while, and the defense had a few too many early lapses. Christian McCaffrey has been a manageable loss so far, however." — Vinnie Iyer
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 6
Previous Ranking: 3
"Week 1 wasn't an aberration but it showed exactly what the 49ers can and can't get away with when it comes to making something of the 2024 roster. Injury-riddled, rusty and showing a bit of its age, the 49ers struggled against a Vikings team that went right for the jugular and disallowed Kyle Shanahan's team from simply putting them through the machinery. Getting hit with the greatest full-field knockout punch of the season from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson doesn't hurt, but expect Minnesota to encourage others to come right at the defending NFC champions." — Conor Orr
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 2
"Brock Purdy had 319 passing yards; Deebo Samuel had 110 receiving yards; Jordan Mason had 100 rushing yards. Even with Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve with calf and Achilles injuries, those look like winning numbers for the Niners, especially against the Sam Darnold-led Vikings. Instead, San Francisco lost for the seventh straight time in Minnesota. Steve Young quarterbacked the last 49ers team to win there (1992)." — Josh Kendall
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 2
"Losing a road game after a Monday night game isn't too hard to understand, but they had too many defensive lapses against the Vikings. Not having Christian McCaffrey for a month and Deebo Samuel missing time won't help the offense, either." — Pete Prisco
USA Today
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 3
"RB Christian McCaffrey is on IR, WR Deebo Samuel is going to be inactive the next few weeks with a calf strain, and WR Brandon Aiyuk has only been a notch better than inactive as he continues to work his way back from an inactive summer spent on angling for his new contract. And Pro Bowl S Talanoa Hufanga (ACL) still hasn't been quite ready to return. Otherwise? All's splendid here." — Nate Davis