https://www.ninersnation.com/2017/1...fl-power-ranking-comparison-for-49ers-vs-rams
Week 17 NFL power ranking comparison for 49ers vs. Rams
We’ve got a look at Week 17 media power rankings. The 49ers are on the upswing
By David Fucillo
The NFL is about set to wrap up the 2017 regular season. All 16 games will take place on Sunday, and the NFL has removed a
Sunday Night Football game from the slate to ensure competitive balance for playoff spots. There are a host of AFC teams competing for a wild card berth, and all of them will be playing at the same time.
The
San Francisco 49ers are back in action one last time this weekend as they travel to Southern California to face the
Los Angeles Rams. It’s a fitting close to the season. The 49ers are not going to the playoffs, but we are seeing quite the resurgence in the NFC West. The Rams have claimed the division crown, while the 5-10 49ers are looking nothing like the team that opened the season 1-10. Four straight wins with
Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm will do that.
We’re back with a look at Week 17
NFL power rankings around the media, and I’m sticking with the look at our media sources for both the 49ers and Rams. Last week, the 49ers had their biggest matchup of the year, and put a hurting on the
Jacksonville Jaguars No. 1-ranked defense. The 49ers almost blew the game late, but they held on for a 44-33 win that has most everybody plenty optimistic.
This week, the 49ers face a Rams team that is coming off back-to-back road wins, including a 42-7 thumping of the
Seattle Seahawks. With
Carson Wentz done for the year, the Rams,
Minnesota Vikings and
New Orleans Saints are arguably the three best teams heading into the NFC playoff. The Rams seem just a step off in this, but
Todd Gurley and that defense could carry them far. Jared Goff is playing good football, but if they win
the Super Bowl it will be because of the defense and/or Todd Gurley.
The Rams are going to be either the third or fourth seed after this weekend. It remains to be seen what they will do with some of their starters. I am hoping we see them all out there for purposes of evaluating the 49ers, but either way, a fifth straight win to close out the season would be a strong message for 2018.
SB Nation: 13 (Rams: 5)
49ers: In a week where playoff scenarios dominate the
NFL news cycle, the 49ers have reason to be extremely optimistic, despite getting eliminated from postseason contention a month ago. And it’s all because of Jimmy Garoppolo.
The former
Patriots quarterback had people buzzing with his two-minute drill to beat the
Titans, but putting up 44 points on the top-rated Jaguars defense is even more impressive. And it has hopes sky high in San Francisco. No team has a longer winning streak than the 49ers, and the Garoppolo hype train is chugging along at full steam.
ESPN: 19 (Rams: 4)
49ers: Clearly the win total came well before the Jimmy Garoppolo deal. Garoppolo is now 4-0 as the starter in San Francisco, the only undefeated quarterback in the league since Week 13.
Rams: You know you're having a special season when you hit your preseason over/under halfway through the schedule. That's what Los Angeles did this year. And while
Jared Goff's improvement has been key, give some love to Todd Gurley, who eclipsed 2,000 yards from scrimmage in Week 16.
Yahoo Shutdown Corner: 19 (Rams: 2)
49ers: Niners Nation talked about the possibility of extending receiver Marquise Goodwin, who has another year left on his deal. It makes sense. Goodwin has been a great find. It’s worth it to invest now rather than pay more later. He should have a fine 2018 with a full year of Jimmy Garoppolo throwing him the ball.
Rams: In the final 12 minutes of a 27-23 game, the Rams defense got three stops in three tries against the Titans in a win that clinched a division title. Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Sean McVay’s play-calling get a lot of the attention, but the Rams have a good defense too. This is a team without a real weakness.
SI: 15 (Rams: 5)
Last Week’s Rank: 20
Points in MMQB Power Poll: 178
Highest-Place Vote: Ninth
Lowest-Place Vote: 18th (2)
Last Week’s Result: Win vs. Jacksonville, 44-33
Week 17 Opponent: at L.A. Rams
Last Week’s Rank: 4
Points in MMQB Power Poll: 288
Highest-Place Vote: Second (2)
Lowest-Place Vote: Fifth (7)
Last Week’s Result: Win at Tennessee, 27-23
Week 17 Opponent: vs. San Francisco
Bleacher Report: 23 (Rams: 4)
49ers: Games like Sunday's show why the future is bright for the San Francisco 49ers. We got to see how special Kyle Shanahan is as an offensive play-caller. We also got to fully experience the energy he and Jimmy Garoppolo have brought to the franchise.
The Jaguars are one of the most physical teams in football, and the 49ers smacked them around early.
With Shanahan and Garoppolo on board, the 49ers have the potential to field one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL next season. They have the confidence, they have the key pieces in place, and they have a ton of cap space to utilize in free agency.
Rams: The Rams didn't have kicker
Greg Zuerlein on Sunday, and that stood out. His replacement,
Sam Ficken, missed an extra point and his lone field-goal attempt. Zuerlein is out for the year, and the kicker position will be something to watch moving forward. Zuerlein was a big and reliable weapon for Los Angeles.
Even with a kicking issue, the Rams are able to win in all three phases. They still have tremendous special-teams players, an opportunistic pass defense, a quality pass rush and a bevy of offensive weapons. They also have Todd Gurley, who would be my pick for NFL MVP.
A year after going just 4-12, the Rams have a legitimate shot at going to the Super Bowl.
CBS Sports: 22 (Rams: 7)
49ers: They have to be thrilled with the 4-0 start by Jimmy Garoppolo. They need to sign him to a long-term deal as soon as they can.
Rams: They are going to be a real problem for any team in the playoffs. They can run it with Todd Gurley and now the defense is playing better.
NFL.com: 15 (Rams: 4)
49ers: Jimmy Garoppolo can do no wrong right now. Win out and extend your undefeated record as an NFL starter into 2018? Sure, why not? Chuck touchdown passes sidearm? Sure, why not? Dissect the top pass defense in the league? Sure, why not? Throw in a rushing touchdown for all the chicks? Sure, why not? Stare 10,000 bands and their songs into an iPod? Sure, why ... wait, that was a Chuck Norris joke. Have your agent ask for $25 million a year this offseason? Sure, why not?
Rams: The Rams earned a quality road win Sunday, even if it was a bit closer than most pundits anticipated. Todd Gurley continued to stake his claim -- and, by extension, the claim of every overlooked running back over the years -- to the league MVP award.
Ezekiel Elliott should have received serious consideration last year.
Hopefully, Gurley, who racked up 276 (276!!!!!) yards from scrimmage Sunday, will do better with the voters this year. The effort of the day, though, must go to
Connor Barwin, who was all motor on that final Titans play to corral ... or upend ... or discombobulate Marcus Mariota. Heck, I don't know what to call that final sack/tumble/Vlade flop.
Washington Post: 14 (Rams: 5)
49ers: The success of QB Jimmy Garoppolo playing in Coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense provides plenty of hope for next season in Year 2 of the Niners’ new regime. The 49ers are playing like a playoff team right now. Unfortunately for them, it took them until December to get Garoppolo into the lineup.
Rams: Todd Gurley is very unlikely to be the league’s MVP. It’s difficult to imagine the award going to anyone but Tom Brady. But Gurley is having a terrific season and he certainly belongs in the conversation.
Sporting News: 22 (Rams: 6)
49ers: Jimmy Garoppolo is now 4-0 as the 49ers starter and has teammates talking about winning the Super Bowl next season.
Rams: Christmas came early for the Rams with their first NFC West championship since 2003.
---------------
I still can't get over how much fun I'm having being the fan of a 5 (hopefully 6) win team.
-----------
If McVay sits out his starters
It’s so that we don’t expose them like we did to the Jags this past weekend, which would only help playoff teams that they’ll face.
Smart man
---------
Right.
Week 17 is the only playoff bye they can get. They’ve got nothing to gain this week, win or lose, and everything to lose. Gurley, Goff or Donald gets hurt and they’re hosed.
But at the same time, I’d rather play them at full strength.
--------
this happens every year
if they lose in the playoffs, and they sit starters, everyone points back to the "rest" and claims it created "rust"; if they play starters they claim fatigue (or god forbid someone is injured).
Whatever McVay decides to do, our guys need to handle their biz. Id like to see Hyde and Reid and Tank have big days, as this could be their last in a 49er uniform.
----------
I just want to beat them. I dont care who they start.
If they don’t sit guys, let’s take them. If they do, even more of a reason to beat them.
I understand we aren’t quite there yet but I’ll tell you what….this teams expectations for next season just went through the roof. I’m hearing a lot of "playoffs or bust" takes, and that’s pretty amazing considering where this team was just a few weeks ago.
I’m looking forward to next season more than any season I can remember in recent memory.
----------
https://www.ninersnation.com/2017/1...e-down-rams-49ers-seahawks-cardinals-hamilton
The world turned upside down
The meek are inheriting the NFC West, as Seattle and Arizona crumble
By Mark Saltveit
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
The 2018 winner of the NFC West will be a fast-rising team with a red-hot young quarterback, an unstoppable defensive line and an offensive genius coach who cut his teeth calling plays for Washington.
We just don’t know if it will be the San Francisco 49ers or the Los Angeles Rams. Jimmu Garoppolo, DeForest Buckner and Kyle Shanahan, or Jared Goff, Aaron Donald and Sean McVay? Either way, it’s exciting football.
Running back Carlos Hyde was practically giddy after San Francisco’s stunning domination of the 10-4 Jaguars Sunday.
I definitely want to be a part of this. Like I said, I think we got a good chance to go to the Super Bowl next year so I don’t want to go to any other team.
When asked about this comment, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had a curt reply:
I’ll talk to him about that. We’re dealing with the Rams next week and we’ll look at everything else after that.
Now, this sounds like standard (but true) football philosophy: one game at a time, not looking past Sunday, or as Chip Kelly likes to say, “Every game is the Super Bowl.”
But Garoppolo may also have been focusing on this new reality: the 49ers have to get past the Rams to even think about a Super Bowl next year, and that won’t be easy.
Sunday’s showdown between these rising powers kicks off the new rivalry that will dominate the NFC West for the next few years, and whoever draws first blood will have the psychological edge.
Maybe Garoppolo is focused on slapping down the Rams to show them who’s boss, right up front, before they get any notions of their own. This will be the new Battle of Yorktown that reveals a world turned upside down.
Over the last six games, it has become clear that Seattle and Arizona are falling apart, so much so that Bruce Arians is rumored to be quitting as the Cardinals coach. Even if he stays, the team faces a rebuilding year and their quarterback is Carson Palmer, who is frequently injured and older than George Blanda’s grandpa.
As for Seattle, they’re always dangerous but big contracts and a rash of injuries and weak draft picks has cut deeply into their talent pool. Here’s a thought experiment: imagine what the Seahawks would look like if Russell Wilson got injured. Ewww! That’s a disgusting picture (in your mind), isn’t it? Sorry.
Last summer, no one could have predicted these changes, but now they look inevitable in hindsight. The path to success in the NFL is simple: a franchise QB plus young stars whose inexpensive rookie contracts let you amass more talent. If that QB is relatively young, you have a Super Bowl window for a few years.
Until 2014, the NFC West was one of the league’s toughest divisions, year after year. Now that Arizona lacks a franchise quarterback and Seattle’s stars aren’t young (or cheap) any more, their decline is inevitable. But the two hottest franchises in the league are ready to battle, and their divisional rivalry will be incredibly fun to watch.
-----------
The worm Is finally turning in the NFC West.
The Rams will be the new rival and we can feast on the carcasses of what were two of the most arrogant teams in football… It will be interesting to see how long the 12’s stand by their crappy team in Seattle. I can’t wait!
----------
Arians, McVay, Carroll and Shanahan are clearly the best division of coaches. the teams’ success will follow. And i am in the minority who believes if the Cards hadnt lost the best offensive player in the league and their oline and their QB …. they would be in the playoffs.
-----------
"The Rams will be the new rival...."
Nothing new about hating on the LA Rams my friend.
Some of us old folks remember The Rams as enemy #1! I sure do.
----------
yup
pre-cowboys, the most hated team of them all. every single rams game was do-or-die
good times
---------
What I remember
Is when we were the hammer to their nail back in the 90s, and Tim McDonald uttered the famous phrase "same ol’ sorry ass Rams"
----------
I say lets thump them. Who cares if it’s not a real challenge, a win is a win.
----------
Hopefully we pound them so bad they HAVE to put in starters.
-----------
I think he prefers the 4 seed.
They want to play the Foles-led Eagles.
---------
Carolina is good, but I think the Rams have a good shot at beating them, especially at home
----------
Doesn’t matter who’s wearing the uni..
Beating the Rams just feels right.
---------
For the Rams, they’re relying right now on an older veteran O Line. That’s not going to last. Whitworth and Sullivan are the keys and they’re already 36 and 32 respectively. So their position isn’t necessarily as solid as it seems.
--------
I like SF’s long-term prospects over the Rams
You can’t overestimate the value of a good draft picker, if Lynch maintains his 2017 win streak. The Rams are still enjoying the RGIII trade bounty. But SF’s cap and extra picks are ready to offset that.
And ultimately I just like Jimmy G better than Goff who seems glass jaw to me. I don’t see him handling adversity well, as DCs figure out ways to counter McVay’s scheme.
---------
i'm still interested in seeing how goff reacts when a team shuts down gurley from his 150 a game. and it's going to happen.
Vikings already did it once. for now, gurley is the key to that team. not goff…
----------
The betting line opened at Rams minus seven
it’s now down to Rams as low as minus one. Will we soon be favored?
---------
If the rams are resting starters then fine
Let’s walk in their house and drop a 50 burger on them, make them hurt so bad they wish they had taken us seriously. Just an all out demoralizing loss that rips their soul entering the playoffs. I want the excuse to be whipping their backups, let them know who is right in their rear view, and coming for blood next year.
You shouldn’t take us so lightly. Yeah it will hurt our draft, but f*ck the Rams. You didn’t leave us any choice and Jimmy stays undefeated as a starter.
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/49ers/comments/7mbsiq/rams_coach_sean_mcvay_told_the_media_that_he_will/
Rams coach Sean McVay told the media that he will probably rest his starters for the season finale against the 49ers
SCARED OF THE GROP, MCVAY!?
---------
No point letting them get humiliated by Garoppolo before they start the playoffs.
----------
Cant blame him. I wouldn't want to face us either.
---------
McVay is smart enough to know that Jimmy G is beating them with or without starters so that four seed is inevitable. He doesn't want his starters going into the playoffs realizing this is their only year winning this division.
----------
Sean McVay knows Shanny will expose his ass every time we play lmao doesn't want a devastating hit to his team's ego before the playoffs. We remember the TNF game where they let Hoyer bend them over
----------
They fear. We understand
----------
I don't need to see Aaron Donald murdering our interior O line on his way to meeting jimmy
----------
Probably for the best. I don't want to risk Donald destroying our interior line and injuring Jimmy... Particularly his face.
--------
we put up 39 on the Rams with Hoyer at the helm. imagine what we can do with Jimmy G.
----------