The 49ers are shockingly low in these Week 1 NFL power rankings

This is sobering.

Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looks on after losing to the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images3 | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Apparently, not everyone believes the 49ers are in store for a bounce-back season.

There's a lot to like about the 49ers this year. They're returning 9 of 11 starters on offense. They essentially have replaced Deebo Samuel with Ricky Pearsall, which should be an upgrade. They also replaced Nick Sorensen with Robert Saleh, one of the biggest upgrades in the league this offseason.

But, the 49ers lost eight starters on defense and replaced them with backups and rookies. That's a big reason that Eric Edholm ranks the 49ers' 15th out of 32 NFL teams heading into their season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

"As much goodwill and trust as the 49ers built up for years, last season did hurt their reputation. I really thought the Week 10 win in Tampa would springboard them back into the playoffs, but the whole operation just fell apart, with injuries a big part of it. I’ve felt all summer that San Francisco is due for a positive regression-to-the-mean season, especially with a favorable schedule. But the Niners aren’t as talented or as deep as they were two years ago, and the receiver situation has me worried. Brandon Aiyuk starts the season on the PUP list, Demarcus Robinson is suspended three games and who knows what to expect from Jauan Jennings? It’s a lot, and I’ve had my doubts along the way, but San Francisco holds steady on the ranks for now."

Eric Edholm, NFL.com

Edholm makes points that are hard to argue. When the 49ers beat the Buccaneers, they improved their record to 5-4. It was Christian McCaffrey's first game of the season. They seemed to be on the verge of a winning streak. Instead, they lost 7 of their final 8 games. And although injuries did play a significant part in their collapse, there were signs even in the win over the Buccaneers that the 49ers weren't together as a team.

Jake Moody missed three kicks in Tampa -- that's why the game was so close. After the third miss, Deebo Samuel walked up to Moody on the sideline and taunted him, then punched the long snapper. This happened during a game the 49ers ultimately won. And they never were the same afterward. You have to wonder if the conflict spilled into the locker room.

Here's the good news: Samuel is gone. Unfortunately for the 49ers, Aiyuk isn't back yet. And it's unclear when or if he'll be the player he was in 2023.

Until then, the 49ers seem like a middle-of-the-pack team.