The San Francisco 49ers are back in action later today, hosting the Atlanta Falcons in a 1:05 p.m. kickoff. The 49ers now stand at 2-6 following last week's loss to the Rams, while the Falcons are 6-2 following their own loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers have benched starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and traded tight end Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos. Suffice to say, odds are not good for a win today.
Last week's loss to the Rams "improved" the 49ers from No. 9 to No. 6 in the 2016 NFL Draft order. Here is where that order stands through eight weeks, going down to No. 12 and the 3-5 teams a game back of the 49ers. The Browns are the only team ahead of the 49ers to play thus far, losing to the Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Thanks to Scott Carasik for putting this together.
1. Detroit Lions (1-7)
2. Tennessee Titans (1-6)
3. Cleveland Browns (2-7)
4. Baltimore Ravens (2-6)
5. San Diego Chargers (2-6)
6. San Francisco 49ers (2-6)
7. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)
8. Chicago Bears (2-5)
9. Dallas Cowboys (2-5)
10. Houston Texans (3-5)
11. Kansas City Chiefs (3-5)
12. Indianapolis Colts (3-5)
This week marks the largest number of byes, with six teams sitting out. That leaves us with 11 games on Sunday, and one on Monday. There a couple interesting matchups, but if the 49ers lose, they likely will not move a whole lot. The Browns loss to the Bengals leaves them ahead of the 49ers. The two most interesting games I see on the schedule are Cowboys-Eagles and Chargers-Bears. Those strike me as the best opportunities for upsets this week. Other upsets could happen, but there are a lot of tough matchups for lesser teams this week.
Falcons (6-2) @ 49ers (2-6)
Titans (1-6) @ Saints (4-4)
Jaguars (2-5) @ Jets (4-3)
Broncos (7-0) @ Colts (3-5)
Eagles (3-4) @ Cowboys (2-5)
Bears (2-5) @ Chargers (2-6)
Raiders (4-3) @ Steelers (4-4)
Giants (4-4) @ Buccaneers (3-4)
Dolphins (3-4) @ Bills (3-4)
Rams (4-3) @ Vikings (5-2)
Washington (3-4) @ Patriots (7-0)
Packers (6-1) @ Panthers (7-0)