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          NFL Nation

          49ers rise a spot to No. 27 in Power Rankings

          • Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterOct 6, 2015, 03:15 PM ET
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              Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
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          A weekly examination of the 49ers’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

          Rank: 27| Last Week: 28

          Comment: When does a team that is riding a three-game losing streak in which it is outscored by a combined 107-28 in said skid actually rise a spot in our ESPN NFL Power Rankings? When it’s the San Francisco 49ers, and when the Niners keep the now-No. 2-ranked Green Bay Packers in relative check in a 17-3 loss. The 49ers sacked reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers three times, with a career-high two in a game by outside linebacker Aaron Lynch.

          Still, the Niners are 1-3, their worst start since opening up the 2010 season at 0-5. Think rookie coach Jim Tomsula is starting to feel some heat? “Coaching-wise, things need to fit our players,” he said. “We have good players. We don’t have a good record, but we have good players. We have good coaches and we’ve got to go through the middle of this and get it sorted out. And, that’s where I am there. The scheme has to match the players and the players have to match the scheme and that’s all part of this whole thing and I’m not telling anybody anything new. So, that’s how I approach it.”