The San Francisco 49ers are coming off another tough loss—their fourth in the past seven weeks. This time, it came against the Los Angeles Rams, a team the 49ers defeated back in Week 5.
While the 49ers' offense delivered a solid performance, the defense struggled, giving up 401 total yards, 31 first downs, and 42 points to their division rivals. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams' offense proved too much to contain.
Injuries have played a significant role in San Francisco's recent challenges, with key defensive leaders such as Nick Bosa and Fred Warner lost for the season. The 49ers will need to rely on their depth and leadership to navigate the remaining stretch of games.
Despite the team's struggles, quarterback Mac Jones continues to impress, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns against the Rams. His performance has sparked discussion among analysts (and some of the power ranking creators below) about whether the 49ers should stick with Jones or turn back to Brock Purdy once the starter is healthy.
Next up, the 49ers head to Glendale, Arizona, for a matchup against the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. After that, they'll face the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns before heading into their bye week.
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.
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 13
"Mac Jones may have to give up the starting job this week as Brock Purdy gets closer to full strength. Is it weird that we're going to miss him? Jones was 33-of-39 for 319 yards and three touchdowns Sunday. He's eighth in the NFL in passing yards per game (236) and tied for 13th in EPA per dropback (0.11). And, for what it's worth, Fox analyst Tom Brady said Sunday he thinks the Niners should stick with Jones even when Purdy is ready." — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
ESPN
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 14
"Non-QB MVP: RB Christian McCaffrey. It's hard to imagine where the Niners would be without McCaffrey's versatility and production. He ranks second in the NFL in scrimmage yards (1,318) despite averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. But McCaffrey's receiving skills have allowed him to continue to produce, as he leads the Niners in receptions (69) and receiving yards (692). In fact, McCaffrey remains on pace to break Marshall Faulk's single-season record of 1,048 receiving yards by a running back. On an offense that has spent all or large chunks of the season without quarterback Brock Purdy, wideouts Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall and tight end George Kittle, McCaffrey has been the constant." — Nick Wagoner
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 12
"The 49ers have Brock Purdy's lingering health questions and a defensive problem that isn't going away. Outside of the Falcons game, Robert Saleh's injury-riddled unit just hasn't played well enough. Meanwhile, despite the forced-pass INT in the fourth quarter, Mac Jones was mostly fantastic against the Rams, nearly erasing a 21-0 deficit. Who knows what Kyle Shanahan will do at QB, but it would be hard to bench Jones with the way he's playing right now. It might be just as hard finding defensive solutions to stop the bleeding. San Francisco is still in good shape at 6-4 with winnable games remaining, but it feels like there's a lid on this team's potential." — Eric Edholm
The Ringer
Current Ranking: 13
Previous Ranking: 13
"Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has done all he can to patch up an injured unit that's missing stars like Fred Warner and Nick Bosa and several depth pieces, but he's running out of answers. Without the necessary talent for Saleh's defense to play the style he would like, it seems like San Francisco can only hope that turnover luck and third-down variance work in its favor. And that's not happening right now. The 49ers' early-season wins have given them a cushion that will keep them in the playoff race, but this defense is not built for the postseason." — Diante Lee
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 14
"The 49ers are perfectly mediocre, at least through their last seven games. San Francisco has rotated between wins and losses during that stretch, without losing or winning two straight. Kyle Shanahan and Co. understood difficulties laid ahead after losing defensive difference-makers Nick Bosa and Fred Warner to season-ending injuries. To offset those losses, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh became more aggressive with his play-calling. The Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford torched the Niners defense whenever it brought pressure. Not every opponent will feature a quarterback anywhere near his level, but San Francisco must be wary of its limitations." — Brent Sobleski
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 11
"The 49ers' injuries are catching up to them, but more so for the defense minus Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. The offense can only do so much with Mac Jones and a mostly healthy group when they can't stop much." — Vinnie Iyer
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 11
"Lost in the Rams' frenzy of offensive efficiency was the fact that Mac Jones had just six incompletions and a quarterback rating of almost 120 against the best defense in the NFL, on an afternoon when Brian Robinson was his leading rusher and Christian McCaffrey was averaging less than three yards per carry. You can't bench this guy right now." — Conor Orr
USA Today
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 16
"Only percentage points out of the NFC's final wild-card spot, none of the Niners' next four opponents currently has a winning record." — Nate Davis
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 15
Previous Ranking: 14
"The 49ers have shown that they have enough juice to beat the bad teams on their schedule. Their next four opponents are the Cardinals, Panthers, Browns and Titans. This is a flawed team due to injuries but a 10-4 start to the season seems likely." — Frank Schwab
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 16
Previous Ranking: 15
"The injuries to the defense proved to be too much to overcome in the loss to the Rams. Matthew Stafford carved them to shreds." — Pete Prisco
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 18
Previous Ranking: 15
"Quarterback controversy incoming." — Mike Florio