The San Francisco 49ers are no longer undefeated. Their first loss of the 2025 season came at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars, leaving the team eager to bounce back quickly on a short week with a divisional road matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Injuries continue to be a defining theme for the 49ers, just as they have in recent years. Star defensive end Nick Bosa is already out for the season, and Sunday's defeat added to the team's concerns. Key offensive contributors, including quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) and wide receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ankle, rib), are all nursing injuries as San Francisco prepares for Week 5.
How does the national media view the 49ers compared to the rest of the league? Below is a roundup of the latest NFL power rankings, highlighting where San Francisco currently stands in each. As always, the highest rankings are listed first.
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 6
Previous Ranking: 3
"The 49ers ran into some offensive snags with Brock Purdy rusty in his return from his toe injury against a game Jaguars defense. Their own defense is already missing Nick Bosa in the pass rush plenty." — Vinnie Iyer
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 7
Previous Ranking: 9
"I stand with Damien Woody, who had a fantastically real analysis of the Robert Saleh-Liam Cohen dustup." — Conor Orr
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 4
"Rookie spotlight: Mykel Williams. The 11th pick in the draft is third among rookies in quarterback pressures with nine and second in tackles for loss with three, and he's a big part of a 49ers run defense that is 12th in EPA (5.0 per 100 snaps). Third-round cornerback Upton Stout grabbed his second interception of the season Sunday, but it was overturned by a pass-interference flag." — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 11
Previous Ranking: 10
"It feels like the San Francisco 49ers are at a crossroads. They're again dealing with multiple injured starters—Nick Bosa is out for the year—that threaten to derail their season. Despite this, they have a 3-1 record. Having players like Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle on the sideline didn't seem to hurt the Niners in Week 4 as much as their four turnovers and poor kick coverage did. If San Francisco can clean a few things up, it can stay in the NFC West race. However, the way the 49ers respond to their first loss of the season in Thursday's matchup with the rival Los Angeles Rams will be critical. They have playmakers, they should get Aiyuk and Kittle back at some point, and Kyle Shanahan usually has a solid game plan. However, San Francisco isn't quite talented enough to play sloppy football and win consistently." — Kris Knox
ESPN
Current Ranking: 12
Previous Ranking: 11
"The 49ers have scored six touchdowns on 14 red zone trips this season -- a 42.9% conversion rate that is tied for fifth worst in the NFL. What's more concerning is they've scored only three touchdowns in eight goal-to-go situations, a 37.5% conversion rate that is fourth worst. The Niners have been without some of their top red zone targets, including tight end George Kittle (hamstring) and receivers Brandon Aiyuk (knee) and Jauan Jennings, but settling for field goals contributed to Sunday's loss. San Francisco hopes getting those key players back will help, but for now, the inability to finish drives in the end zone is creating a much narrower margin for error." — Nick Wagoner
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 8
"Brock Purdy didn't look right in the loss to the Jaguars. Did he rush back? They need him to be better." — Pete Prisco
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 12
"Brock Purdy's new-money honeymoon is ending quickly." — Mike Florio
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 9
"This is a terrible time for the 49ers to get a Thursday night road game against the Rams. The 49ers took on even more injuries Sunday, most notably to receivers Ricky Pearsall (PCL) and Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs). The 49ers seem cursed with injuries." — Frank Schwab
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 12
"As close as the final score was, Sunday's 26-21 loss to the Jaguars was replete with 49ers mistakes. It's a wonder they were even in the game at all, being minus-four in turnover differential and allowing an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown. Brock Purdy returned and gave his team a chance with some big throws, but he was also way too sloppy, throwing two picks (including a bad one in a 17-14 game) and losing a fumble. The Niners also struggled to get the run game chugging and were 1-for-3 scoring touchdowns in red-zone possessions. Defensively, they allowed chunk plays early, missed tackles and had an INT wiped out by a penalty. The 3-1 record is good, but it's a short turnaround for Thursday's divisional game against the Rams, with injuries and concerns mounting." — Eric Edholm
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 13
"The 49ers have allowed the fifth-most pressures on non-blitzed dropbacks this season, an alarming statistic for an offense that's built to attack downfield when defenses play conservatively. The consistent pressure impacted the 49ers on Sunday, as quarterback Brock Purdy seemed like he was having to get rid of the ball more quickly than he preferred, leading to some ill-advised throws to the middle of the field. The 49ers' run game continues to underperform, so it's hard to identify a way to take the load off of Purdy's shoulders." — Diante Lee
USA Today
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 13
"Among this team's mounting issues is its heavy (and worrisome?) reliance on RB Christian McCaffrey, who leads the league with 100 touches but is averaging what would be a career-low 5.3 per (discounting his abbreviated campaigns)." — Nate Davis