Later today, 49ers players begin their preparations for Sunday's showdown with the Dallas Cowboys. Since the 49ers wrapped up their victory over the Seahawks last weekend, one of the prominent topics for Jim Harbaugh has been the lack of respect the 49ers have gotten in the media. He also expressed the point that the 49ers can't whine about it, but rather need to do something about it. The motivational speeches are apparently ready and rolling.
In the meantime, we've got the latest power rankings for your entertainment and amusement. Everybody and their brother comes out with power rankings so each week I'll likely just take a look at three: ESPN, CBS Sports, and SB Nation NFL.
As the season moves along we'll see team settle into general ranges of the rankings, but for now I'd argue it's as much a stab in the dark for at least half these teams. Using our 49ers for an example, they rank 19, 20 and 22 in these rankings. Prior to the season those three ranked them 27, 26, 26. I think it's easy to see the pattern following their victory.
After the jump I've posted what each site had to say about the 49ers.
22. Two home games to open the season are helpful for new coach Jim Harbaugh.
20. It's too bad they can't play the Seahawks every week. The offense, especially the passing game, is still a concern.
19. Anything can happen in the NFC West. Even the 49ers winning the division.
It's not exactly jaw-dropping commentary, but national coverage just hits the high or low notes for the most part. For those that are curious, the Cowboys are 13, 12 and 13 in those same rankings.
Both teams fit into the category of hard to assess at this point and really that includes much of the NFL for now. Are the Buffalo Bills really as good as they looked? Are the Chiefs as bad as they looked? We could really ask an endless array of questions about the league at this point. The power rankings don't mean much of anything, but it's still amusing to see how perception fits into reality.