NFL Power Rankings: Where 49ers stand after loss to Chiefs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Sunday was the perfect example if you wanted a snapshot of how erratic the NFL is in the Year of our Lord 2022.
You had Geno Smith‘s Seattle Seahawks pummel Justin Herbert‘s Los Angeles Chargers. Tom Brady was outplayed by P.J. Walker as the “aren’t they tanking?” Panthers beat the Bucs. Oh, and Taylor Heinicke made the winning plays Aaron Rodgers couldn’t as the Commanders took down the Packers.
As for the San Francisco 49ers, Christian McCaffrey‘s debut in the Bay Area was spoiled by his new team’s historically bad defensive performance against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The weird season continued Monday night when the skidding Bears waltzed into Gillette Stadium and pantsed the Patriots in primetime. The 33-14 win snapped the Bears three-game losing streak and could be the start of some QB drama in New England.
Here’s where each team stands with Week 7 wrapped up:
32. Houston Texans (1-4-1): Hey, at least the Texans finally got Jack Easterby out of the building.
31. Detroit Lions (1-5): The Lions have scored six points in their last two games. Dan Campbell’s operation is much farther away from a return to legitimacy than we thought when the season started.
30. Carolina Panthers (2-5): Just like that, the Panthers are back in the NFC South race. No, this isn’t a joke. Why do you ask?
29. Denver Broncos (2-5): The Broncos have played seven games and have scored more than one touchdown in one of them. At least Denver has its first-round pick. Oh … never mind.
28. New Orleans Saints (2-5): The Saints are bad and their cap situation is dire. There’s a reason Sean Payton got out when he did.
27. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-5): The Pickett-to-Pickens connection is going to end up being a thing for the next 10 years, isn’t it?
26. Cleveland Browns (2-5): The Browns’ attempt to keep their season afloat before Deshaun Watson returns is failing. Who says karma doesn’t exist?
25. Washington Commanders (3-4): Taylor Heinicke and Terry McLaurin have chemistry, making this version of the Commanders much more dangerous than the one piloted by Carson Wentz.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5): Jacksonville was 2-2 with games against the Texans, Colts, and Giants on deck. They lost all three. Removing Urban Meyer hasn’t fixed everything.
23. New England Patriots (3-4): Bill Belichick might have created an unnecessary QB controversy by benching Mac Jones for Bailey Zappe against the Bears. After leading two touchdown drives, Zappe turned back into a pumpkin against the Bears. Now, there could be trouble brewing in Foxboro.
22. Chicago Bears (3-4): Justin Fields and the Bears ran over the Patriots in primetime. Impressive job by Matt Eberflus and his staff.
21. Indianapolis Colts (3-3-1): It’s time for Matt Ryan to hang them up. The Colts are stuck because they can’t find a quarterback. The search continues.
20. Arizona Cardinals (3-4): DeAndre Hopkins’ return might have got the Cardinals back on track momentarily, but Kyler Murray’s sideline spat with Kliff Kingsbury points to a team teetering on the brink.
19. Atlanta Falcons (3-4): The loss to the Bengals only counts as one, but it feels like it’s the moment the Falcons became the team we thought they’d be when the season began.
18. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4): The Raiders got off the mat by bludgeoning the Texans. The path back to .500 is clear for the Silver and Black. Not dead yet.
17. Green Bay Packers (3-4): Aaron Rodgers is trying to spin three straight losses ahead of a date with the Bills as a good thing. Not sure I buy it.
16. Miami Dolphins (4-3): Tua returned and almost threw four interceptions (all dropped). All is not well in South Beach.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4): Tom Brady said retirement wasn’t in his future. He might want to walk that back. Or try and snake his way back home to finish his career in the Bay.
14. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3): Remember when the Chargers hired Brandon Staley over Brian Daboll? Whiff.
13. San Francisco 49ers (3-4): The trade for Christian McCaffrey was a big bet on the genius of Kyle Shanahan. I don’t hate it, but that’s a lot of picks to give up for an oft-injured running back.
12. Tennessee Titans (4-2): The Titans continue to dominate the AFC South, a division where only mediocre quarterback play is needed to come out on top.
11. Seattle Seahawks (4-3): The Seahawks might be … good?
10. New York Jets (5-2): We have to treat the Jets the same way we treat everyone else. If you keep winning, you keep moving up.
9. Los Angeles Rams (3-3): The Rams got outbid for Christian McCaffrey by their NFC West rival. Might they be able to counter by acquiring Bears pass-rusher Robert Quinn before the deadline?
8. Baltimore Ravens (4-3): Gus Edwards returned, and the Ravens got back to their ground-and-pound ways in a narrow win over the Browns. John Harbaugh’s team might be starting to find its form.
7. Dallas Cowboys (5-2): Dak Prescott’s return left a lot to be desired as the Cowboys played around with the hapless Lions for three quarters. I still need to see more from Dallas.
6. Minnesota Vikings (5-1): With the Packers’ season circling the drain, the Vikings might be able to stroll to an NFC North title.
5. New York Giants (6-1): It’s not always pretty, but Brian Daboll’s Giants just keep winning. The Giants have five second-half comebacks in their six wins. Coaching matters.
4. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3): It was only a matter of time, but Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense are officially back.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2): Patrick Mahomes and Co. averaged 9.1 yards per play Sunday and hung 44 on the No. 1 defense in the NFL. Statement.
2. Buffalo Bills (5-1): Coming off a bye, the Bills have a chance to drive a stake into the heart of the 2022 Packers next Sunday night. Get the funeral precession ready.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0): The Eagles’ bye week gave Philly sports fans time to enjoy the Phillies’ run to the World Series and ignore the fact that Daryl Morey has reconstructed the 2019 Rockets in the City of Brotherly Love.