Things are evening out in the rankings, even with the 49ers loss. We're one short this week (The Big Lead), so we're going after the jump right after the ESPN rankings. We've been submitting power rankings for SB Nation and I actually voted the 49ers 20th this week and last week. Last week's average ranking was 18, and this week the 49ers fell to 20th. Speaking of rankings, here is the current draft order (excluding yesterday's games). The 49ers are two spots ahead of the Panthers and would currently have the 11th and 13th picks.
ESPN - #20 (19) - Alex Smith has shown he can throw touchdown passes when his team is trailing by a wide margin. He needs to start faster.
- Arizona - #5 (7)
- Seattle - #25 (25)
- St. Louis - #31 (30)
Fox Sports - #22 (22) - Like the Jets, the Niners are skidding after a fast start to the season. To their credit, five of their six losses have come vs. teams at .500 or better ... so they're not losing to garbage teams, and they've normally stayed in the game (five of their six losses by a TD or less).
- Arizona - #11 (11)
- Seattle - #25 (24)
- St. Louis - #29 (29)
CBS Sports - #23 (23) - They can forget the playoffs now. The rest of the season is about finding out if Alex Smith is the long-term answer at quarterback.
- Arizona - #8 (10)
- Seattle - #25 (24)
- St. Louis - #30 (29)
Pro Football Talk (via NBCSports.com) - #22 (19) - Even with five losses in six games, the Niners still have a realistic shot at finishing 9-7, given their schedule. But something tells us they won't.
- Arizona - #6 (7)
- Seattle - #28 (27)
- St. Louis - #30 (30)
NFL.com (Brandt) - #23 (20)
- Arizona - #6 (8)
- Seattle - #24 (25)
- St. Louis - #30 (29)
NFL.com (Brooks) - #21 (21)
- Arizona - #8 (9)
- Seattle - #26 (26)
- St. Louis - #31 (28)
NFL.com (Carucci) - #22 (22)
- Arizona - #6 (8)
- Seattle - #23 (21)
- St. Louis - #30 (28)
WhatIfSports.com - #15 (13)
- Arizona - #9 (12)
- Seattle - #26 (23)
- St. Louis - #25 (24)
Average 49ers Ranking: 21.00 (19.89)
Average Cardinals Ranking: 7.38 (9.00)
Average Seahawks Ranking: 25.25 (24.33)
Average Rams Ranking: 29.50 (28.44)