The NFL is getting ready for Week 8, which means plenty of NFL power rankings have arrived. On Tuesday, I posted mine and had the 49ers in the infinity position. They were No. 32 the week before, and I felt there had to be some way to lower them a little bit.
I decided to put together a round-up of Week 8 power rankings. It is not like there will be much in the way of surprises. I grabbed eight different websites, including SB Nation, for this week. Two have the 49ers ranked No. 32, five have them ranked No. 31, and one has them ranked No. 30. The Cleveland Browns are consistently below them, and for that latter one, the Chicago Bears are below them.
The Browns could very well finish this season 0-16. Odds are decent they win at least one game, but they’re bad enough that I don’t think anybody at this point would be surprised by an 0-16 finish. The 49ers are currently 1-6, and have a handful of winnable games on the schedule. They could win one or two against the Dolphins, Jets, Bears, or Rams, and end up finishing around 3-13. Of course, given how this season has gone, they very well could lose all of them and go 1-15. But for some folks, as long as the Browns keep on losing, they will remain behind the 49ers.
SB Nation: No. 31 (previous wk: 31)
Pro Football Focus: No. 31 (previous wk: 31)
ESPN: No. 31 (previous wk: 31)
Forget the 49ers' quarterback situation for now. In seven games, the 49ers have allowed 1,296 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. Only three running backs have hit those marks for an entire season since 2013, and the 49ers have yielded it in seven games. Guess what they'll be working on during their bye?
CBS Sports: No. 31 (previous wk: 31)
The move to Colin Kaepernick hasn't changed much. They still aren't a good team.
NFL.com: No. 30 (previous wk: 30)
Ever since NaVorro Bowman went down in Week 4, the 49ers literally can't stop anyone on the ground. You saw it happen as soon as he left the field against the Cowboys, when the Dallas offensive line took over late. San Francisco gave up 249 rushing yards to the Bucs on Sunday. The week before, the Niners allowed 313 to the Bills. And then there were the 172 rushing yards the Cardinals put on the Niners in Week 5. Talk about Colin Kaepernick all you want. It doesn't matter.
Yahoo!: No. 32 (previous wk: 32)
If the 49ers hadn’t won in Week 1, we’d have to start talking about the 0-16 possibility. They’re that bad.
FOX Sports: No. 31 (previous wk: 31)
The 49ers have just one win this season and it came in the season opener against the Rams. Colin Kaepernick hasn’t done anything for the offense and the defense is still getting gashed regularly – even by Jacquizz Rodgers. This team needs an overhaul in the offseason, whether Chip Kelly’s there for it or not.
Bleacher Report: No. 32 (previous wk: 32)
Admit it: You had never heard of Peyton Barber before Sunday.
Name recognition comes easy when you're playing the 49ers, though. It's no league secret Jim O'Neil coordinates the softest run defense in football. Jacquizz Rodgers came off his couch earlier this season and ran for 154 yards Sunday. Even an undrafted rookie such as Barber (84 yards on 12 carries) can cut right through it.
Speaking of running...that's all Colin Kaepernick can do. He's exactly what I thought he'd be: a way more athletic Blaine Gabbert, right down to the elongated throwing motion. That's only one drawback of San Francisco's limited pass offense.
Looking forward: The 49ers will probably stay in the power-rankings basement next week. They're on a bye.