The San Francisco 49ers continued to impress with a 35-13 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 2, improving to 2-0 on the season.
Even Brock Purdy's harshest critics are running out of reasons to downplay the quarterback's success. Purdy was nearly flawless against the Dolphins, completing 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns while posting a 149.1 passer rating. At one point, he completed 18 consecutive passes. He even added a rushing touchdown.
We'll see if Purdy can continue his impressive play into Week 3, when San Francisco takes part in an NFC West showdown against the Arizona Cardinals, who fell to 1-1 after a blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.
How does the national media view the 49ers compared to the rest of the NFL? Below is a roundup of the latest NFL power rankings, highlighting where San Francisco currently stands across various outlets. As always, the highest rankings are listed first.
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 1
Previous Ranking: 1
"Rookie spotlight: Kaelon Black. The running back out of Indiana has more carries and almost as many rushing yards (90) as Christian McCaffrey (91) through two weeks. Not bad for a third-round pick who didn't even get an invite to the NFL combine. And it helps make Niners fans feel better about losing promising rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling for 10 weeks due to an ankle sprain." — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Ranking: 3
"The San Francisco 49ers impressed with their 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. While their blowout win over Miami on Sunday was expected, it shows that San Francisco is a tier or two above the NFL's middling teams. Through two weeks, the 49ers have looked like the best team in football. It's easy to forget that San Francisco was playing for the NFC's No. 1 seed in Week 18 last season, even after a cascade of [significant] injuries. Unfortunately, players like Ricky Pearsall, Jake Tonges, and De'Zhaun Stribling have already suffered significant injuries this season. However, if San Francisco can stay relatively healthy the rest of the way, it should be in the mix for the top seed once again." — Kris Knox
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Ranking: 4
"The stars continue to show up for this team, which is why it will be a serious playoff contender. With those guys on the field, and Kyle Shanahan coaching, they will be tough to beat." — Pete Prisco
ESPN
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Ranking: 5
"Purdy has been one of the league's most productive quarterbacks since taking over the starting job in 2022. Now in his fifth season, he's completely comfortable in coach Kyle Shanahan's offense and is coming off his best training camp. That hot start has teammates such as linebacker Fred Warner openly wondering whether Purdy can compete for league MVP honors. Through two weeks, Purdy is atop the league in QBR (94.9) despite a supporting cast that has already been thinned by injury. If he stays healthy, there's reason to believe Purdy will post his best year yet." — Nick Wagoner
FOX Sports
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Ranking: 7
"The 49ers might be the most complete team in football. A terrific QB, great running game, excellent receivers, strong line, tough defense and a brilliant coach. They've got it all." — Ralph Vacchiano
Sporting News
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Ranking: 5
"The 49ers are back to being a well-balanced offensive machine for Kyle Shanahan with the usual big plays from Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey. They also need to be extra pleased about how swarming the defense has been under Raheem Morris." — Vinnie Iyer
USA Today
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Ranking: 2
"Only three NFL players in history have scored 50 touchdowns with two different franchises. Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Randy Moss and Christian McCaffrey. End of list. Impressive." — Nate Davis
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 3
Previous Ranking: 5
"The 49ers got a good runout to start the season. They got the Rams in Australia, when Los Angeles practically blew off that trip by landing the day before the game. Then they got the Dolphins, who have the worst roster in the NFL. They blew out both teams, which shouldn't be taken for granted in the NFL. Their point differential of +42 is dominant. They have had only two negative plays all season, not counting kneel-downs, the fewest for a team this century through two games, according to Doug Clawson of CBS. Brock Purdy is playing well, keeping the offense afloat despite receiver injuries already piling up, and the defense has given up only one touchdown to the Rams and another TD to the Dolphins when they were leading by 29 points in the final minutes. It has been an impressive start." — Frank Schwab
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 4
Previous Ranking: 6
"Sure, the Rams in Australia and the Dolphins at home to follow. But the clinical dissection of both teams was enough to earn Kyle Shanahan & Co. a major boost this week. I keep thinking about something Shanahan has said that makes the team's sustained run all the more interesting. Nearly every team in the league runs his offense, so every defense practices against it every day. The fact that the 49ers are still an elite team is more amazing than we think." — Conor Orr
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 5
Previous Ranking: 10
"Brock Purdy is making a push for the list of top-10 quarterbacks. Maybe the top five." — Mike Florio
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 7
Previous Ranking: 9
"Folks, Brock Purdy is dealing. Defenses have not been able to stop the 26-year-old in the first two weeks. Purdy is at the peak of his powers and completely comfortable running the show, dicing up the opposition and adding his own flair along the way. Quietly, the 49ers are dunking on the doubters, looking like one of the better teams in the NFL through two games." — Nick Shook
More info on: Kaelon Black, Christian McCaffrey, Ricky Pearsall, Brock Purdy, De'Zhaun Stribling, Jake Tonges, Fred Warner
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