The San Francisco 49ers are riding the momentum of their thrilling overtime victory against the Los Angeles Rams as they prepare for a Week 6 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
Despite dealing with multiple injuries, the 49ers battled through adversity behind quarterback Mac Jones, who delivered a gutsy performance to secure his third win as a starter with the team. With Brock Purdy still recovering from a toe injury, Jones may remain under center this weekend.
San Francisco, currently atop the NFC West with a 4-1 record, will look to strengthen its position with a key road win over the 4-1 Buccaneers.
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.
Surprisingly, the 49ers took the top spot in one ranking.
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 1
Previous Ranking: 6
"The 49ers got the job done against the rival Rams with gritty defense and Mac Jones once again playing superb in place of Brock Purdy. San Francisco has also enjoyed a healthy Christian McCaffrey again. They have risen back to the top of the loaded NFC." — Vinnie Iyer
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Ranking: 11
"We need to start taking the San Francisco 49ers seriously. It's not easy to start an NFL season 4-1, but doing so with a backup team? That's impressive. The 49ers have played much of the season without star tight end George Kittle. And without edge-rusher Nick Bosa. And without starting quarterback Brock Purdy. Thursday night against the Rams, they were short wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Picky Pearsall—and San Francisco still beat a good Rams team on the road. If the 49ers can get back to close to 100 percent, this can be a dangerous team. But they need to get healthy as quickly as possible. For as well as guys like Mac Jones and Kendrick Bourne have played, the San Francisco offense is running through running back Christian McCaffrey—and he won't hold up touching the ball 30 times a game." — Gary Davenport
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 6
Previous Ranking: 8
"Kyle Shanahan is reviving Mac Jones' career before our eyes. On a day the 49ers' normally dominant running game never got going, Jones was dealing. And it begs the question: What would Jones' career look like if the 49ers had drafted him instead of taking Trey Lance, allowing the Alabama product to develop with Shanahan the last four years instead of a stint with Matt Patricia as his play caller?" — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
ESPN
Current Ranking: 6
Previous Ranking: 12
"Fantasy surprise: TE Jake Tonges. With tight end George Kittle out (right hamstring injury), Tonges has emerged as a legitimate receiving option with a knack for scoring touchdowns. The third-year tight end has 19 receptions for 166 yards with three touchdowns. Those numbers will likely tumble dramatically when Kittle returns, but Tonges has proved he can be a solid No. 2 tight end in the passing game -- something the Niners have lacked for most of Kyle Shanahan's tenure." — Nick Wagoner
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 6
Previous Ranking: 7
"After receiving a fair number of texts, X posts, Instagram comments and more about why I put the 49ers at No. 7 last week, I feel like a win over the Rams with Mac Jones and a handful of bodies the team called in via DoorDash has put the conversation to bed for now. This is a really, really well coached football team and Jones has serious guts." — Conor Orr
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 7
Previous Ranking: 13
"If there isn't a quarterback controversy, there should be." — Mike Florio
USA Today
Current Ranking: 7
Previous Ranking: 15
"Not sure who they have left standing aside from Fred Warner and Christian McCaffrey − yet Kyle Shanahan has somehow steered this motley crew into the NFC's top seed for the time being, thanks in large part to an early season sweep through the NFC West." — Nate Davis
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 9
Previous Ranking: 13
"Winning the way they did on the road against the Rams with so many guys injured is a testament to the coaching of Kyle Shanahan. Mac Jones played well in place of Brock Purdy." — Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 9
Previous Ranking: 13
"The idea that Mac Jones is a threat to Brock Purdy is ridiculous. Jones played well. The 49ers just gave Purdy a five-year, $265 million contract; they aren't benching him because Jones had a couple of good games. But you'll hear more about it if Purdy struggles." — Frank Schwab
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 11
Previous Ranking: 15
"Watching Thursday night's play calling master class from Shanahan was like seeing a hero come out of retirement. With backup quarterback Mac Jones in the lineup for an injured Brock Purdy, we saw a return to the 49ers' dink-and-dunk game. Shanahan relied on quick passes to keep the offense ahead of the chains, and Jones put on a clinic of his own when the offense needed third-down playmaking. The 49ers offense is still ravaged by injuries, but this team is 4-1 thanks to its late-game execution. For a team that probably isn't healthy enough to contend (but still wants to compete), this has been a perfect start to the year." — Diante Lee
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 15
"Mac Jones' gutsy Week 5 performance, without most of the team's best receiving weapons not named Christian McCaffrey, was a massive victory and a statement that the Niners aren't going anywhere. Yes, they're extremely banged up, and we already know they won't be fully healthy, with several players done for the season, but they're 3-0 in the division with wins over every NFC West opponent, and they're going to get some reinforcements. I'll be watching how they handle Brock Purdy's injury and whether there'll suddenly be a QB controversy, but for now, my trust is in what Kyle Shanahan has been able to do with what he has left." — Eric Edholm
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