Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN’s latest NFL power ranking is causing a bit of a stir among fans. Writer Mike Clay not only has the San Francisco 49ers ranked No. 15 in the league, but he also has them as the last NFC West representative.
While the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are favorites of the division winners, the Seattle Seahawks surprisingly come in at No. 6, the best place among the four teams in the NFC West. The Los Angeles Rams can be found six places later at number 12. Even the Arizona Cardinals are ranked higher than San Francisco. A higher place, in fact, at number 14.
So why Clay’s low rating? He accuses the harsh division. The four NFC West teams are in Clay’s top 15, but the decision to list the Niners created the latest conversation on social media. Yes, San Francisco has suffered seasons lost in five of the last six years. Still, the list looks more like that of the 2019 Super Bowl contestant than those of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s previous squads or last season’s exhausted injuries.
Clay even admits the healthiest 49ers should get a rebound.
“The Niners have a fantastic offensive line and a good core of offensive goals led by George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, but it remains to be seen how much they get out of the quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo / Trey Lance situation.” wrote Clay.
The strength of the team can be its defense and its deep defensive line, which will see the return of passing runners Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. They both missed most of last season due to injuries. There are secondary concerns, however, and the team has lost its defensive coordinator for the past four years.
“The defense has more gaps than in years past and coordinator Robert Saleh is gone, but stellar power remains in the form of Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Fred Warner, Jason Verrett and Jimmie Ward,” Clay added. “This is a decent list that will have to overcome a tough division to find its way back to the playoffs.”
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