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When news of Michael Crabtree's injury first broke, one of the most frequent questions I received on Twitter was how this impacted the 49ers' Super Bowl and division odds. Super Bowl odds have not been changed since the 2013 NFL Draft wrapped, and I imagine we won't see any changes until training camp gets here. When changes do get here, the 49ers will likely slip a bit from the current 6-to-1 figure we see at Bovada.
While the odds haven't changed, this did get me thinking about where the 49ers sit on the spectrum of teams heading into 2013. Much like post-draft odds, the most recent set of NFL power rankings were after the close of the draft, and we'll likely see the next set heading into training camp.
While waiting for all the major media sites to put together power rankings, Adam Caplan put together his own rankings following the Crabtree injury. He ranked the 49ers No. 8, with his top eight as follows:
1. Denver Broncos
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Green Bay Packers
5. New England Patriots
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. Houston Texans
8. San Francisco 49ers
I can't find any rankings prior to this, so we don't really have a baseline against which to compare. But looking at this ranking on its own, I'm sure there are plenty of opinions to be had. The 49ers are a tough team to figure out following the Crabtree injury, because we don't know what it means for the passing attack. Of course, this team was originally built around the ground game, and I don't think we'll see drastic changes there following this injury.
The comparison to the Seahawks is a tough one to figure out. Both teams improved their roster depth, but obviously the 49ers took a hit with the Crabtree injury. Does that move the Seahawks into division favorite status? I almost wouldn't mind that. The 49ers entered 2012 with a target on their back, and they were most definitely going to enter 2013 with a target on their back. They remain one of the better teams in the NFL, but does it help having that target be a little less bright?