All of you who saw the San Francisco 49ers as one of the two remaining undefeated teams after six weeks please stand up.
Sit down, Kyle Shanahan. Even you didn't believe it.
Yet here they are, the last undefeated team in the NFC and the only other team aside from the New England Patriots without a loss.
The 49ers haven't exactly beat up on a brutal schedule, but what they did Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams shows just how good they might be. Playing on a short week off a Monday night game against a team at home with rest off a Thursday game, the 49ers dominated the Rams.
The San Francisco defense abused the Rams offense and limited Jared Goff to 78 yards passing.
That's unreal.
Shanahan and his staff have done an impressive job with this group. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is a rising star in the profession and Shanahan remains one of the best play-callers in the league.
The Packers beat the Lions on Monday night and there's a lot to go over. Fortunately Will Brinson, John Breech, Ryan Wilson and Sean Wagner-McGough are here to break everything down on the latest episode of the Pick Six Podcast. Listen to the full show below and be sure to subscribe right here.
The schedule will get tougher in a few weeks, but the 49ers are far from close to being healthy now. They played without their starting tackles against the Rams and all-important fullback Kyle Juszczyk. When they get healthy, the offense will be much improved.
For now, the 49ers are second in my Power Rankings behind the Patriots, who remain at the top. Both teams have benefitted from easy schedules so far, but like coaches always say: You can only play the teams on that schedule.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | It's looking more and more like they will have an easy ride to the Super Bowl. Which team in the AFC can stop them? | -- | 4-13-0 |
| 2 |  | That defensive front is truly special. It's the kind of dominant unit that can carry a team a long way. What happens when Jimmy Garoppolo plays better? | -- | 12-5-0 |
| 3 |  | Teddy Bridgewater is 4-0 as a starter, which is truly impressive considering the opponents. The defense has really dominated. | -- | 9-8-0 |
| 4 |  | Russell Wilson continues to play at a high level. How high? He's the MVP if the season ended right now. | -- | 9-8-0 |
| 5 |  | It wasn't pretty against the Lions, but they found a way. The offense still isn't quite clicking yet, but it's getting there. | -- | 9-8-0 |
| 6 |  | They come off their bye with a relatively easy game against the Dolphins. It's time the offense got cranked up to complement the defense. | 1 | 11-6-0 |
| 7 |  | Lamar Jackson was outstanding against the Bengals. But now they face a tough challenge on the road at Seattle. | 4 | 13-4-0 |
| 8 |  | Kyle Allen just keeps winning games, but it's been more about the defense. That unit is getting after the quarterback in a big way. | 4 | 2-15-0 |
| 9 |  | They come off their bye just a half game back of the Chiefs in the division race. But they face a brutal road game at Green Bay. | 4 | 8-9-0 |
| 10 |  | Kirk Cousins was sensational against the Eagles. Maybe the big-game failures are behind him. If the offense plays like that, they can win a lot of games. | 8 | 7-10-0 |
| 11 |  | They come off their bye with a big division game with the Texans. The defense, which shut down the Chiefs before the bye, will be tested by that Texans offense. | 3 | 9-8-0 |
| 12 |  | What has happened to this team? It's the same story from a year ago. The defense just isn't good enough. | 6 | 11-6-0 |
| 13 |  | They come off the bye looking to generate more on offense. But it was the defense that also had some issues in London. That unit needs to pick it up as well. | 2 | 7-10-0 |
| 14 |  | That was a tough way to lose a game against the Packers. But they showed Monday night they are a legitimate playoff contender. | 2 | 12-5-0 |
| 15 |  | That was a big-time road victory against the Chiefs. But now they have to do it again when they travel to Indianapolis. | 4 | 10-7-0 |
| 16 |  | Their defense is a disaster right now. And now they face a big-time division game against the Cowboys. They better tighten up. | 8 | 11-6-0 |
| 17 |  | So much for the idea that they would run away with the NFC East and be a power team in the NFC. They've struggled badly in losing the last three weeks. | 8 | 12-5-0 |
| 18 |  | With three consecutive losses, this team is reeling. The offense just doesn't have the same scoring ability as it did in the past. Jared Goff looks off. | 8 | 10-7-0 |
| 19 |  | Can defense and a running game turn their season around? It looked that way against the Chargers. They are far from dead after their bad start. | 7 | 10-7-0 |
| 20 |  | At 2-4, the heat is on this group, especially for coach Freddie Kitchens. They need to turn it around quickly or all that hype was nothing but hot air. | -- | 11-6-0 |
| 21 |  | Is the Gardner Minshew magic over? He looked ordinary against the Saints, so you have to wonder. | -- | 9-8-0 |
| 22 |  | They've won two straight to turn their season around. The defense showed up in a big way against the Titans. | 3 | 8-9-0 |
| 23 |  | All those who questioned the Kyler Murray-Kliff Kingsbury pairing might want to revisit that. Suddenly, they are putting up a lot of points. | 4 | 4-13-0 |
| 24 |  | They have big-time injury issues that are crippling this team. But at some point, they have to play better through it all, starting this week at Tennessee. | 7 | 5-12-0 |
| 25 |  | The injuries have decimated the offense, and that showed up against the Pats. But when you look at the NFC East, they are far from dead. And now they will be getting some of those injured guys back. | 3 | 6-11-0 |
| 26 |  | Jameis Winston is turning it over again and the defense has struggled. Sounds like 2018 all over again. | 3 | 9-8-0 |
| 27 |  | So was it the coaching change or the fact they played the Dolphins as the reason they won for the first time? Might be a combination of the two. | 3 | 4-13-0 |
| 28 |  | It's funny what getting Sam Darnold did for this team. They looked like a different team beating the Cowboys. | 3 | 7-10-0 |
| 29 |  | The inability of Marcus Mariota to step up as a franchise passer is not a good thing for the Titans. Does he stay on the bench? Should he? | 5 | 6-11-0 |
| 30 |  | At 1-5, they are in a hole that is too big to overcome. Now comes the Dan Quinn watch. When does he go? | 2 | 7-10-0 |
| 31 |  | At 0-6, their season is officially over. They have too many injuries impacting the offense right now. | 2 | 9-8-0 |
| 32 |  | They almost got one. But moral victories don't matter. What does matter is losing to get that top overall pick. So I guess they win without winning against the Redskins. | -- | 11-6-0 |
