Week 1 NFL power rankings: Where 49ers stand entering 2024 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The 2024 NFL season finally is here and there was no shortage of exciting offseason storylines.
Can anyone dethrone the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs? Is Caleb Williams the quarterback Chicago Bears fans have waited decades for? Is there trouble in paradise for San Francisco and its plethora of stars?
If we know anything about the NFL, it’s that those questions will be asked, answered and then asked again repeatedly over the next 18 weeks.
Here’s where the 49ers and the rest of the league stand entering Week 1 of the 2024 season:
32. Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young should take a step forward and there could be a young core forming with rookies Xavier Legette and Jonathon Brooks. However, this still is a very bad football team.
31. New England Patriots: I guess Jacoby Brissett is the smart choice for now, but man is it a boring one. This team is so uninspiring, but at least more competent than the aforementioned one.
30. Las Vegas Raiders: I find it hard to believe that Davante Adams will be much happier with Gardner Minshew over Jimmy Garoppolo and Aidan O’Connell. How soon before he requests a trade? He and Maxx Crosby will have plenty of suitors before the trade deadline.
29. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix could be a fun storyline, but otherwise, this team is very bland.
28. Tennessee Titans: Will Levis could have a decent supporting cast around him if/when DeAndre Hopkins is healthy. The rest of the roster, though, is pretty mediocre.
27. Washington Commanders: Adam Peters went on an offseason shopping spree for a bunch of offensive and defensive has-beens who still might be able to provide rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels with a soft-ish NFL landing spot.
26. New York Giants: I thoroughly enjoyed the offseason “Hard Knocks” with the Giants and believe they made some nice moves on both sides of the ball. The problem is, that Daniel Jones still is their quarterback. At least Malik Nabers should be electric.
25. Minnesota Vikings: Sam Darnold isn’t the worst option in a situation like the Vikings are in, but he’s far, far, far from the best. Just air it out and let Justin Jefferson do Justin Jefferson things. This will be a transitional year.
24. Arizona Cardinals: The offense could be good, but the defense will be a major liability. That’s usually not an ideal combo. Don’t count out Kyler Murray, though.
23. New Orleans Saints: This feels like the most average team in the history of average teams. The San Francisco Giants of the NFL world, if you will.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: The defense could be nice, but it’s hard to imagine a healthy Justin Herbert having the success he has had with Ladd McConkey and …. who?
21. Seattle Seahawks: It’s an OK roster, but without Pete Carroll, it feels like the end of an era.
20. Indianapolis Colts: The foundation is there. Can Anthony Richardson build on his brief cameo last season?
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Remember when they embarrassed the Eagles in the playoffs last year? They’re a fine team. Nothing more, nothing less.
18. Chicago Bears: I can’t lie, they crushed the offseason. Caleb Williams could be the real deal. But it’s the Bears, so let’s wait and see.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Pretty well balanced on both sides of the ball, but they only will go as far as Trevor Lawrence takes them. He still has a lot to prove.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers: They have had a pretty balanced roster the last couple of years, but have been devoid of competent quarterback play. Russell Wilson is not the player he once was but still is lightyears better than Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky.
15. Atlanta Falcons: A healthy Kirk Cousins — and no Arthur Smith weighing them down — can take this offense to new heights. Atlanta also revamped its defense with multiple moves, including trading for Matthew Judon. This, on paper, is a nice squad. We have to wait and see, though.
14. Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen is and always will be awesome. Dalton Kincaid and James Cook are nice weapons, as is rookie receiver Keon Coleman, but there’s no alpha after Stefon Diggs‘ departure.
13. Los Angeles Rams: Some of the usual media contrarians are picking them to win the NFC West. They have a decent squad, but let’s not go that far. The offense should be good, but the defense leaves little to be desired without Aaron Donald.
12. Cincinnati Bengals: A healthy Joe Burrow is very, very good and this offense is capable of winning a shoot-out with just about anybody. Can the defense just be average?
11. Cleveland Browns: An elite defense and some nice offensive weapons, but Deshaun Watson is one giant question mark. Not ideal for a guy they guaranteed $230 million to.
10. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love is for real. That offense is for real. The defense is OK. The 49ers might have overlooked them in the playoffs last year, but teams shouldn’t make that same mistake this season.
9. Miami Dolphins: This offense is a cheat code in non-freezing games. However, they just never seem to be the same team down the stretch. The defense should be decent if they can stay healthy and avoid another NFL equivalent of the “Red Wedding.”
8. New York Jets: The defense is elite, but how will a 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers bounce back from an Achilles injury? Adding left tackle Tyron Smith was a very smart move. There’s a lot to like here, but let’s give it time.
7. Philadelphia Eagles: Losing Jason Kelce will hurt this offense, but adding Saquon Barkley will help. The defense no longer is Swiss cheese over the middle after adding Devin White and other linebacker depth.
6. Dallas Cowboys: The ‘Boys still are very good and the defense should improve with a healthy Trevon Diggs and the addition of Eric Kendricks. Not sure what they think they’re doing at the running back position, but Rico Dowdle should be the guy on the ground.
5. Houston Texans: The NFL darlings last year added Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon to an already explosive offense. The additions of Danielle Hunter, Denico Autry and Azeez Al-Shaair round out a quickly improving defense. This team is scary.
4. Detroit Lions: This improved defense wouldn’t have blown a 24-7 lead in the NFC Championship Game. The Lions got better this offseason and once again will be a force.
3. Baltimore Ravens: They lost some defensive pieces, but adding Derrick Henry to an offense with Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers? That’ll do.
2. San Francisco 49ers: They have the NFL’s best roster and there’s reason to believe it’s even better than last season. However, the vibes surrounding this team have been terrible all summer. Get everyone back on the field and then we can reassess.
1. Kansas City Chiefs: The defending champs kept most of their team together and improved the offense. Out of respect, they claim the top spot … for now.
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