NFL Power Rankings, Week 8: Eagles collapse in fourth quarter during loss to Panthers

32. San Francisco 49ers

With all due respect to the San Francisco 49ers, did anyone really expect them to make Sunday’s contest with the Los Angeles Rams competitive when seeing how the NFC West rivals compare on paper? Sure, the 49ers may have given some fans hope after an impressive outing in Week 6 when they almost knocked off the Green Bay Packers, but the Rams are undefeated for a reason.

Whether it was allowing Aaron Donald to sack C.J. Beathard four times or simply allowing Todd Gurley to find the end zone three times, San Francisco just didn’t have what it takes to compete with a strong contender like Los Angeles. And with a 1-6 record heading into the final weekend of October, the 49ers are only a few more losses away from their season basically being over.

Then again, San Francisco’s season was arguably over the second Garoppolo was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL since the chances of them succeeding without him seemed slim, and rightfully so when looking at the kind of impact he made dating back to 2017. Maybe when the 49ers take on the Rams in Week 17, they will have a much better chance of earning the win if Sean McVay decides to rest his players, assuming the team has their playoff position locked up by then.