PFF Ranks the 49ers No. 1 in Week 1 Power Rankings

It's interesting that PFF never mentions Brock Purdy in this blurb, considering the 49ers are 17-4 with him as a starter, and if he goes down, their season is over despite all their offensive playmakers.
Dec 3, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71), quarterback Brock Purdy (13) and running back Christian McCaffrey (23) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Dec 3, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71), quarterback Brock Purdy (13) and running back Christian McCaffrey (23) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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Kyle Shanahan has never been under more pressure to win a Super Bowl.

He's entering his eighth season as the 49ers head coach. Only three head coaches have been with their current teams longer than Shanahan has been with the 49ers -- Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh and Andy Reid. And all three of them have won Super Bowls.

Meanwhile, Shanahan is running out of excuses for being ringless. Because once again, he's coaching the best team in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.

"The San Francisco 49ers, despite losing Super Bowl 58, remain one of the NFL's most talented teams," writes PFF analyst John Kosko. "Their biggest strength is their offensive playmakers: Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, who all ranked in the top two at their positions in PFF grade in 2023. And the 49ers also have Deebo Samuel — one of the most electrifying offensive weapons in the NFL.

"San Francisco's pass protection was a weakness in 2023, ranking 24th in the NFL, but rookie Dominick Puni may help address offensive line issues alongside a healthy Trent Williams. The return of safety Talanoa Hufanga from injury could be a key factor in 2024, as the defense's performance declined in his absence last season. With their stacked offense and typically top-five defense, the 49ers are strong contenders for another Super Bowl run."

It's interesting that PFF never mentions Brock Purdy in this blurb, considering the 49ers are 17-4 with him as a starter, and if he goes down, their season is over despite all their offensive playmakers.


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Grant Cohn

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.