<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Power Rankings: No. 7 San Francisco 49ers

          • Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterSep 16, 2014, 06:40 PM ET
            Close
              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
            Follow on X

          Power Rankings: No. 7 San Francisco 49ers

          A weekly examination of the 49ers’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

          Rank: 7| Last Week: 3

          Comment: Look at it this way -- the 49ers dropped four spots in our Power Rankings, or, one spot for each Colin Kaepernick turnover in the debut of Levi’s Stadium. At least the Niners were not penalized in our poll for “inappropriate language,” as the QB was on national television Sunday night, despite Kaepernick’s claim that he did not say “anything” to Chicago Bears defensive end Lamarr Houston. Whatever the case, the 49ers are still very dangerous, especially heading to the 2-0 Arizona Cardinals. Consider: the 49ers are 9-2 in regular-season games immediately following a loss under Jim Harbaugh. They were also just flagged 16 times -- the most in the Harbaugh Era -- against the Bears. So, who are these 49ers, the ones that dispatched so easily of the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener, or the ones that melted down against the Bears? In this corner, the Niners played as poorly in the second half against Chicago as Dallas did in the first half against San Francisco.