The 49ers are still one of the NFL’s three best teams according to the Touchdown Wire summer power rankings. Their Super Bowl berth and active offseason have kept them behind the Chiefs and Ravens. That’s unlikely to change throughout the offseason.
With San Francisco primed to sit near the top of the power rankings as long as they’re healthy, we went through their schedule and located where each of their 2020 opponents is ranked in the TD Wire rankings.
Here is a week-by-week look at their schedule, along with each team’s ranking, and a key quote from author of the summer power rankings, Doug Farrar.
Weeks 1 & 16 | Arizona Cardinals, No. 15
There’s not likely a team more likely to climb outside of their summer ranking than the Arizona Cardinals. Second-year quarterback Kyler Murray was primed to break out even before the addition of star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Rookie do-everything linebacker Isaiah Simmons could be a big enough difference maker on defense to help Arizona contend in a tough NFC West.
Key quote:
“If 2018 was the year of Patrick Mahomes, and 2019 was the year of Lamar Jackson, it could be posited that 2020 will be the year of Kyler Murray.”
Week 2 | New York Jets, No. 30
The Jets have effectively wasted Sam Darnold’s rookie contract, and they’ve done a poor job of building around their young quarterback. Unless New York finds some playmakers on offense and placates disgruntled All-Pro safety Jamal Adams, they’re going to be in a battle to stay out of the power-ranking basement all year.
Key quote:
“This has been one of the least-talented rosters over the last few seasons, and it’s looking like it’s going to take a few more years — and possibly another head coach — to balance that out.”
Week 3 | New York Giants, No. 27
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is in a similar spot to his New York counterpart, Darnold in the receiving department. However, Jones has the benefit of running back Saquon Barkley alongside him in the backfield. New York has a chance to be better than their summer ranking, but their path to a playoff spot isn’t very realistic.
Key quote:
“Signing former Panthers cornerback James Bradberry will help what may have been the NFL’s worst cornerback group after the team released Janoris Jenkins, and Jones is starting to look like a franchise quarterback, so there are reasons to be encouraged about the team’s future.”
Week 4 | Philadelphia Eagles, No. 16
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson are among the NFL’s best GM-head coach duos. Their roster is always strong, and Pederson has worked magic despite injuries to some high-profile players over the last couple seasons. This year, right guard Brandon Brooks is already out for 2020 with an Achilles tear. Philadelphia traded for cornerback Darius Slay and added a ton of speed on offense to help quarterback Carson Wentz. If they land Jets safety Jamal Adams in a trade … watch out.
Key quote:
“Certainly, you’d expect injury luck to err on the positive side for the Eagles this time around.”
Week 5 | Miami Dolphins, No. 25
The Dolphins weren’t necessarily trying to win games last year, but first-year head coach Brian Flores guided his club to a 5-11 finish despite much lower expectations. Now they’ve paired free agent cornerback Byron Jones with cornerback Xavien Howard, and bolstered their defensive line with free agent Shaq Lawson. Plus, they could have a bonafide franchise quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins might be a year away, but it’s hard to imagine they’re still considered the 25th-best team when they face the 49ers in Week 5.
Key quote:
“Miami started the season 0-7 in an obvious Tankapalooza with perhaps the league’s least-talented roster, but ended the 2019 campaign at 5-11, as Flores’ players showed belief in how he was running things.”
Weeks 6 & 12 | Los Angeles Rams, No. 24
It was one step back after another for the Rams to start last season. By the time they got their legs under them — the league was running away and they missed the playoffs. It was another unproductive offseason that involved moving wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Texans and running back Todd Gurley walking in free agency. LA moved backward last year and didn’t do a lot to reverse course. They’ll probably be better than the 24th-best team, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they’re not.
Key quote:
“Jared Goff and Aaron Donald combine for 2020 cap hits of more than $50 million, and while Donald has proven unquestionably that he’s worth whatever you pay him, Goff has not. Add in the lack of high draft picks as an inevitable price of the team’s win-now philosophy a couple years back, and the reckoning begins now.”
Week 7 | New England Patriots, No. 17
It seems inconceivable that the mighty Patriots are sitting in the middle of the pack in any form of NFL power rankings, but the departure of the greatest quarterback of all-time will do that. Bill Belichick has his work cut out for him, and No. 17 feels like a proper ranking with such a massive hole to fill under center. New England’s defense will be good as long as Belichick is around, but that offense could keep them out of the postseason for the first time since 2008.
Key quote:
“Putting Jarrett Stidham — whose primary play in 2019 was a pick-six by Jets safety Jamal Adams — is a highly questionable move, even for someone of Belichick’s undeniable football genius.”
Weeks 8 & 17 | Seattle Seahawks, No. 11
The wheels haven’t fallen off in Seattle yet, and there’s no reason to believe they’re going to as long as Russell Wilson is under center. On paper the Seahawks look like a team on the verge of a teardown and complete rebuild. On the field, they’re a playoff team as long as Wilson is healthy. If their defense improves in 2020 after a poor showing last season, they should hover around the top 10 all year.
Key quote:
“The key for Seattle to advance beyond the divisional round, which they haven’t done since their last Super Bowl season of 2014, is to rejuvenate a defense that featured one of the league’s weakest pass rushes and a secondary in transition.”
Week 9 | Green Bay Packers, No. 7
This seems a touch low for a team that went 13-3 and played in the NFC championship game last year. However, Green Bay has some distinct flaws that they opted not to address in favor of selecting Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round. Head coach Matt LaFleur is also aiming to overhaul the offense in an offseason hampered by COVID-19 shutdowns. It’s hard to imagine Green Bay is still inside the top 10 by the time they visit Levi’s Stadium.
Key quote:
“The front office responded to this deficit by signing Devin Funchess to a one-year, $2.5 million deal, and selecting precisely zero wide receivers with their nine draft picks.”
Week 10 | New Orleans Saints, No. 4
The Saints are a little like the Seahawks in that as long as Drew Brees is under center they’re a playoff contender. This New Orleans team is loaded on both sides of the ball though and if not for a monster run by George Kittle last season in New Orleans, the Saints might’ve been the ones facing the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. New Orleans is a top-five NFL team as long as they’re healthy, and they should be in the mix all year.
Key quote:
“Two acquisitions makes them stronger, one on each side of the ball — receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal to bolster a receiver group that had been Michael Thomas and the Pips, and cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who excelled in New Orleans after the Giants released him last December.”
Week 13 | Buffalo Bills, No. 6
The Bills might wind up in the Super Bowl if a couple things go their way. Josh Allen may not be a typical franchise quarterback, but his big arm and athleticism make him as dangerous as any quarterback in the league. On the other hand, he’s erratic enough to throw them out of games. Sean McDermott is a really good head coach, and the Bills’ defense is consistently excellent under his guidance. The addition of Stefon Diggs should be a big help for Allen and the offense, which can be championship caliber with a little more consistency from the quarterback.
Key quote:
“Right now, the Bills are a better version of the Bears in that they have everything required to compete at the highest level, with the exception of a quarterback they can trust.”
Week 14 | Washington, No. 31
Chances are Washington won’t be very good in their first year under head coach Ron Rivera. They should be better though if quarterback Dwayne Haskins is even mediocre in his second season. Their defensive front is loaded, and the 49ers saw how much of an impact that can have on a team. It’d be a surprise to see Washington sniff the postseason, but it’d also be a little surprising if they finished as the worst or second-worst team in the NFL.
Key quote:
“On defense, Ron Rivera’s squad has five first-round picks on its defensive line, including second overall pick Chase Young, but the secondary is very thin, and that could be the things that stops this team in its tracks in 2020.”
Week 15 | Dallas Cowboys, No. 9
The Cowboys should score a ton of points this year. Quarterback Dak Prescott is playing for a contract extension and was one of the most statistically prolific quarterbacks last season. New head coach Mike McCarthy, with his new outlook on football, should theoretically be able to take off some of things holding the Cowboys’ offense back. Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb might be the best receiving trio in the NFL, and Ezekiel Elliott is a top-three running back. Their defense is questionable, but it may not matter because Dallas is primed to light up the scoreboard.
Key quote:
“Will new head coach Mike McCarthy expand from the rudimentary playbook concepts that often hindered Aaron Rodgers’ brilliance when McCarthy was Green Bay’s head coach? It’s a question that was often asked of Jason Garrett, McCarthy’s predecessor in Dallas, and you’d like to think the Cowboys are smart enough to avoid throwing Prescott into a different disaster.”
