San Francisco 49ers Held their Ground in the NFL Power Rankings

When a team loses several games in a row, the fan base can become irrational. Look no further than North California to see proof of this. The 49ers had lost three straight games and it appeared like the world was ending, that Brocky Purdy wasn’t the guy, and that a stacked defensive line had forgotten how to rush the passer.

Then there was a good-by. The San Francisco 49ers then launched H-E-double-hockey-sticks on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Here, elite talent triumphed. And I’m sure the return of Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams from injury didn’t hurt. The 49ers have rejoined the elites, where the Eagles and Chiefs have spent the majority of the season.

The Ravens were defeated by the Browns, and C.J. Stroud is performing admirably as a rookie, as the Bengals discovered in Week 10. The Falcons are in a tight place after three straight losses, with a bye week to get things right and try to comeback. As expected, their rating has slipped in these power rankings.

Of course, stacking wins will change everything. Time will reveal which teams succeed and which fail.

For now, let’s take a look at how the league is shaping up moving into Week 11:

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Shanahan recounts the 49ers’ mental condition following their rout of the Jaguars.

The 49ers were in much better moods after snapping a three-game losing streak with a 34-3 thrashing of the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium on Sunday.

Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday that San Francisco was eager to get back on the field after its Week 9 bye, and that the win over Jacksonville was exactly what the team needed.

“I think we were excited,” Shanahan told reporters via conference call on Monday. “… I think the guys were irritated when they returned from their bye week.” We were very excited about this game. We were just going into this game with the intention of playing as well as we could and not worrying about anything else. That’s something we’ve been emphasizing all week.”

The 49ers came out fired up, leading the Jaguars by 24 points by the end of the third quarter.

Recently acquired standout Chase Young shined in his 49ers debut alongside fellow Ohio State alum Nick Bosa, limiting Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars to 221 yards of total offense.

San Francisco outgained Jacksonville by 216 yards, but the most significant offensive news was the return of Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams, who had both been out with injuries for two games.

“Getting them back is just a boost for our offense mentally, just because they’re two leaders of our team, they’re both two captains,” Shanahan told the media after the game. “… Trent wasn’t even close to 100 percent. I felt it was really brave of them to be able to fight throughout the game. Knowing they were going to be out there gives our players greater confidence.”

The duo played well in their first game back from injury, with Samuel scoring a touchdown.

The 49ers were not in the finest mental shape two weeks ago after dropping three straight games despite a 5-0 start to the 2023 NFL season.

San Francisco is reinvigorated and eager to make a Super Bowl run as it prepares to face the 4-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Week 11.