The wheels didn’t fall off for the San Francisco 49ers in Weeks 2 and 3, but they got extremely wobbly.
Fortunately for the 49ers they answered the call in a ‘get-right’ game against the rebuilding New England Patriots. San Francisco thumped them 30-13 at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday and steadied themselves after a rocky start to the year.
Their beatdown of the Pats was enough to launch the 49ers up five spots in the USA TODAY NFL power rankings. They’re now back in the top 10 after falling all the way to No. 12 following their loss to the Rams.
Now they’re in a position to climb even higher per USA TODAY’s Nate Davis:
WR Brandon Aiyuk still seems to be in preseason mode, currently on pace for a 700-yard season. Yet Sunday was a good “get right” game anyway for a team that still won’t be quite right until its reinforcements arrive. DE Nick Bosa had a season-best seven pressures, and LB Fred Warner managed his first pick-six in five years. At least the Niners are in a stretch where they only travel once in six weeks, their next two contests of the divisional variety (Arizona, Seattle) followed by two against hobbled 2023 division winners (K.C., Dallas).
This is a massive stretch for the 49ers where they can assert themselves as a dominant team in the NFC West, and as Super Bowl contenders.
San Francisco still lands among the contender tier because of their recent history, but they’ll need to play better down the stretch if they want to make another deep playoff run. Two NFC West games followed by those showdowns with the Cowboys and Chiefs will give them an opportunity to string together wins and get back to playing championship-level football.
