Pro Football Talk anoints 49ers as No. 1 team in power rankings
By Brad Rowland
It certainly doesn’t come as a surprise to see the San Francisco 49ers at the top of any NFL “power rankings”, and that is exactly where the defending NFC Champions landed in Pro Football Talk’s preseason poll.
Coming in ahead of the Broncos, Ravens, Seahawks, and Falcons (in that order), San Francisco arrives in the top spot based largely on their tremendously deep roster. In fact, PFT drops this quote concerning their future prospects:
"“At full strength, the 49ers are as talented as any team in the league and should be in the hunt to make the Super Bowl once again.”"
That is a very simple declaration, but it is spot-on. The Niners are blessed with supreme talent virtually everywhere, and with their flashy, young QB in Colin Kaepernick at the helm, their upside is much higher than in previous seasons.
It isn’t all roses for the Niners, however, as they are in desperate need of another playmaker on the outside in the absence of Michael Crabtree with an achilles injury. With that said, however, they have an extra “wrinkle” with Kaepernick’s legs, and with the acquisition of Anquan Boldin, they should soften the blow a bit.
San Francisco will likely be carried by their defense (as usual), but it will be a two-way approach for the 49ers. Preseason “rankings” mean virtually nothing, but I can get on board with this one, and if you are simply comparing roster-to-roster across the league, it is easy to see why they arrive in the top spot.