Ending the Detroit Lions undefeated streak sent the surprising San Francisco 49ers skyrocketing from ninth to fourth in the week 7 NFL power rankings from ESPN. Overly firm handshakes aside, Jim Harbaugh's team cemented their legitimacy among the league's best teams with the win. They are the only team that can lay claim to the accomplishment of preventing a Calvin Johnson touchdown this season.
ESPN’s NFL Power Rankings Put 49ers Fourth
Stopping Detroit’s undefeated streak sent the San Francisco 49ers racing up ESPN’s power rankings, from the ninth spot to the fourth. This week’s power rankings featured a few other notable position changes in the eye’s of Bristol’s fickle pundits.
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Appropriately enough, the Lions were in the fourth spot last week; however, this loss only sent them down two pegs to number six. Detroit hosts Atlanta, ranked at number 19, next week and travels to Denver for their next game ahead of a week 9 bye.
Oakland cracked the top ten this week. They moved up two spots to ninth place on the list with their win over the Browns. With Carson Palmer now leading the offense, Oakland fans will be expecting a continued climb up the rankings.
Washington's loss to Eagles, as well as Rex Grossman's four interceptions, sent them tumbling from 10 to 15 in the eyes of the fickle pundits. A loss to the Giants sent the Bills sliding down the chart, from sixth to tenth. The Giants leaped from 14 to 11 in the rankings.
No changes on the bottom of the list. Jacksonville, Miami, St. Louis and Indianapolis own the bottom four spots. It looks like those teams are poised to stay there as the season drags on and the Andrew Luck sweepstakes shifts into high gear.
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