NFL Power Rankings: October Edition finds LA Rams rising

17. San Francisco 49ers

Despite beating up on the two arguably worst teams in the NFL in the New York Jets and New York Giants, the 49ers fell back to earth in losing at home to the equally decimated Philadelphia Eagles. If not for the most incredibly favorable scheduling, the 49ers could very likely be 0-4 right now.

2020 Summary

After four games, the 49ers have just enough talent on the roster to defeat the two worst teams in the NFL, the New York Jets and the New York Giants. They are 0-2 at home so far and now must face a Miami Dolphins team that could give them their third loss of the season.  Like several other teams mentioned previously, the 49ers roster has been decimated by injuries. As their roster returns to health, their schedule gets noticeably more difficult

2020 Outlook

The LA Rams game in week six kicks off a seven-game stretch for the 49ers where they will face some of the best teams in the NFL. While the 49ers of 2019 could expect to win many of those games, the 49ers of 2020 will be happy to emerge with four wins.  With two games against the Rams in that stretch, the 49ers could be well below .500 and 0-4 in the NFC West division.  Will the 49ers get healthy and successful suddenly?  They have enough talent to win games, yes.

But the plan was to win all the early games, split games against talented opponents, and get hot late in the season for a playoff run. Right now, that doesn’t seem likely.