NFL Power Rankings: 49ers continue their slide

We are going into the final two weeks of the 2020 NFL season, and the San Francisco 49ers continue to fall further down the power rankings. The Niners are coming off a frustrating 41-33 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, where they surrendered 24 points off four turnovers.

San Francisco is 5-9 and could end with a top-10 pick at the 2021 NFL Draft, which isn’t something many people expected going into Week 1. The 49ers wrap up their schedule with games against the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. Quarterback Nick Mullens hurt his elbow and will be out for the final two games, meaning we will see C.J. Beathard or the recently signed Josh Rosen leading the offense.

The Niners were among the highest-ranked teams coming into the season, but injuries have resulted in them falling way down the NFL pecking order.

Here is where some of the major media outlets have San Francisco in their most recent power rankings.

ESPN has the 49ers 20th (down two spots from last week)

Other than middle linebacker Fred Warner, no player on the Niners’ defense has more snap-to-snap responsibility than Ward, who has finally settled in as a free safety after years of bouncing among positions in the secondary. Although Ward would like to add more takeaways to his ledger, he’s a good tackler who excels in coverage and allows coordinator Robert Saleh to take more chances up front, knowing that Ward will be in the right position on the back end.

NFL.com has the 49ers 26th (down five spots from last week)

“This year was the most disappointing one.” That was Kyle Shanahan’s take on the 2020 season following a 41-33 loss to the Cowboys that officially eliminated the 49ers from playoff contention. Shanahan has had just one winning season in four years in San Francisco, but this season came on the heels of a near Super Bowl win last February. The Niners were supposed to finish the job in 2020 — at least until a wave of injuries and COVID-19-related madness ruined everything. The good news? The Niners should have a top-15 pick in the 2021 draft to add to a roster that is excellent when at full health. It’s been an ugly year by the Bay, but a return to championship contention in 2021 would not be a surprise.

CBS Sports has the 49ers 26th (down five spots from last week)

The Super Bowl hangover is now complete. They are done. Has any team ever dealt with more than this team did this year?

USA TODAY has the 49ers 27th (down 11 spots from last week)

Plenty of factors fueled their highly disappointing NFC title defense, but perhaps Niners’ 1-3 record against NFC East best sums up what amounts to dreaded Super Bowl hangover.

Bleacher Report has the 49ers 26th (down two spots from last week)

No team in the NFL will be happier for the end of the regular season than the San Francisco 49ers. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. The Niners are the defending NFC champions, and they held a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV. They had their sights set firmly on a return trip to the Super Bowl this year.

Then the injuries started. Too many to list individually. And as they started to pile up, so did the losses. After Sunday’s sloppy affair in Dallas, the Niners are guaranteed a losing season. Any dwindling hope they had of getting back to the playoffs is toast.

If there’s a silver lining to this disaster of a season, it’s that the Niners are much better positioned to compete in 2021 than the typical five-win team. It’s just a matter of getting healthy and adding a few pieces with a higher-than-expected draft slot.

Pro Football Talk has the 49ers 24th (down three spots from last week)

When you stick with Nick Mullens at quarterback, you get what you deserve.

Here is how the rest of the NFC West teams are ranked:

Seattle Seahawks: ESPN (No. 8), NFL.com (No. 7), CBS Sports (No. 4), USA TODAY (No. 8), Bleacher Report (No. 10), Pro Football Talk (No. 6)

Los Angeles Rams: ESPN (No. 13), NFL.com (No. 10), CBS Sports (No. 13), USA TODAY (No. 13), Bleacher Report (No. 13), Pro Football Talk (No. 14)

Arizona Cardinals: ESPN (No. 14), NFL.com (No. 14), CBS Sports (No. 14), USA TODAY (No. 14), Bleacher Report (No. 14), Pro Football Talk (No. 13)