49ers win vs. Cardinals doesn’t outweigh injuries in newest NFL power rankings

After beating the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints to start the season, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 16-15 at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday to move to 3-0 and claim the top spot in the NFC West.

San Francisco didn’t look great, but without Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, and without Nick Bosa for most of the game, they did just enough to squeak out a last-second victory off of an Eddy Pineiro 35-yard field goal as time expired.

Advertisement

Through three weeks, NFL analysts like USA Today’s Nate Davis still weren’t buying in on San Francisco, playing the 49ers 12th in his Week 3 power rankings. After this win, Davis has dropped the 49ers down a spot to No. 13.

“A 3-0 start is obviously nice,” Davis wrote. “But when you’re winning by an average of 3.3 points then lose Pro Bowl DE Nick Bosa (torn ACL) for the duration? It’s got the potential to become fool’s gold awfully fast.”

The teams ahead of San Francisco at this point are the Seattle Seahawks (No. 12), Indianapolis Colts (No. 11), Kansas City Chiefs (No. 10), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 9), Washington Commanders (No. 8), Baltimore Ravens (No. 7), Detroit Lions (No. 6), Green Bay Packers (No. 5), Los Angeles Rams (No. 4), Los Angeles Chargers (No. 3), Buffalo Bills (No. 2) and Philadelphia Eagles (No. 1).

Seattle is the team that jumped the 49ers after beating the New Orleans Saints in Week 3. However, this move is interesting to note, considering San Francisco downed the Seahawks 17-13 in Week 1.

Advertisement

A win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4 and moving to 4-0 should move the 49ers up a bit next week, but if they keep losing significant players, their journey to the postseason will keep getting harder.

More 49ers: 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan explains how team will replace Nick Bosa

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL power rankings: Where are 49ers after Week 3 win vs. Cardinals

Related Posts

🚨BREAKING NEWS: 49ERS ACQUIRE STAR RB ALVIN KAMARA IN TRADE WITH SAINTS, PER ADAM SCHEFTER! In a blockbuster move, the San Francisco 49ers have traded for one of the NFL’s top running backs, Alvin Kamara. This major acquisition adds an explosive weapon to the 49ers’ offense as they strengthen their pursuit of a Super Bowl title.

The Saп Fraпcisco 49ers are пot approachiпg this offseasoп like a team coпteпt with past sυccess. After losiпg a key offeпsive weapoп iп free ageпcy, the defeпdiпg…

🚨BREAKING NEWS: 49ERS’ KYLE SHANAHAN OFFERS CONFIDENT UPDATE ON TRENT WILLIAMS’ CONTRACT STANDOFF! In a bold statement, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan reassured fans and analysts that the contract situation with Trent Williams will be resolved soon. Despite ongoing discussions, Shanahan is confident that the star left tackle will be back on the field and ready to lead the offensive line.

Getty Trent Williams of the 49ers has performed the best against the Lions out of any other opponent. T he San Francisco 49ers are rolling this offseason….

🚨BREAKING NEWS: FORMER WR1 WITH 3X PRO BOWL SIGNALS DESIRE TO JOIN PACKERS AFTER FLAG FOOTBALL GAME – “REALLY WANTS” TO WORK WITH JORDAN LOVE OF THE GREEN BAY PACKERS! In an exciting development, a former top wide receiver, known for his Pro Bowl appearances, has expressed a strong desire to join Green Bay and form a connection with Jordan Love. Fans are eagerly watching to see if this potential pairing could boost the Packers’ offensive game.

Green Bay Wisconsin March 23 2026 The NFL offseason continues to heat up as a familiar name unexpectedly returns to capture attention The Flag Football event on…

🚨 REPORT: Patriots SHOCKINGLY RELEASE $8 Million Veteran – Raiders, Packers, Dolphins, and Jets on High Alert! The move has the entire league buzzing, with top teams eyeing the veteran as a potential game-changer. Will this spark a bidding war? ll 👇👇👇

Patriots Release Josh Dobbs: What This Means for the QB Market and Potential Landing Spots In a move that was expected for some time, the New England…

🚨BREAKING: Just 6 hours after Lions release, Baltimore Ravens sign 145-game veteran & former First-Round anchor to a multi-year deal to secure the O-line! This major veteran addition is what Baltimore believes will stabilize the blind side, protect the quarterback, and bring instant leadership to the trenches. Could this be the missing piece in the Ravens’ Super Bowl push? 👀👇👇

Baltimore has пo room to hesitate. After too maпy momeпts where pressυre disrυpted the offeпse aпd too maпy plays where the pocket became υпstable, the Raveпs υпderstood…

🚨BREAKING NEWS: Kаnѕаѕ Cіty Chіefѕ owner Clаrk Hunt рublіcly crіtіcіzeѕ the NFL for forcіng fаnѕ to раy аn іncreаѕіngly exрenѕіve lіѕt of ѕtreаmіng feeѕ juѕt to wаtch аll NFL рlаyoff gаmeѕ. The growіng рreѕѕure – fueled by reрortѕ thаt mаny Chіefѕ fаnѕ аcroѕѕ the country cаn no longer аfford to wаtch theіr teаm untіl Jаnuаry – hаѕ led the NFL to conѕіder lаunchіng іtѕ own dedіcаted ѕtreаmіng chаnnel аnd broаdcаѕtіng рlаyoff gаmeѕ for free. Could thіѕ gаme-chаngіng move reѕhарe how fаnѕ engаge wіth Amerіcаn footbаll? 👀👇👇

а рublіc Crіtіcіѕm Thаt Cаught the Leаgue Off Guаrd Kаnѕаѕ Cіty Chіefѕ owner Clаrk Hunt rаrely ѕрeаkѕ out рublіcly аgаіnѕt the leаgue, whіch mаde hіѕ lаteѕt crіtіcіѕm…