The San Francisco 49ers secured their first win of the season in Week 2, defeating their NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, at Levi's® Stadium in front of the home crowd. The win puts San Francisco at 1-1 on the year, and the division is all tied up.
Despite emerging from Sunday's contest with the 27-7 victory, the team incurred some significant injuries to its offensive unit. Sophomore quarterback Trey Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury while running back Tyrion Davis-Price and tight end Tyler Kroft sustained a high ankle sprain and MCL sprain, respectively.
Per head coach Kyle Shanahan, personnel changes are coming. With all three injured players expected to miss considerable amounts of time, roster reassignments are expected to allow the team to bring in new talent. Shanahan has identified depth issues at the quarterback and running back positions as top priorities ahead of the team's primetime matchup against the Denver Broncos.
After a Week 2 win at home, here's a look at the latest NFL power rankings from several national outlets:
Around the NFL Writer Dan Hanzus
"The decision to not trade Jimmy Garoppolo just saved the 49ers season. Trey Lance's second pro campaign is over after he suffered a broken ankle in Sunday's win over the Seahawks, a stunning turn of events that returns Jimmy G to the starting role he lost to Lance in the offseason. Garoppolo is a pro, and he showed it by taking over without notice on Sunday and leading the offense with a steady hand for the final three quarters."
ESPN NFL Reporter Nick Wagoner
"In theory, the Niners should have no problem adjusting to Garoppolo taking over for Trey Lance. After all, Garoppolo has been in this position for most of the past five years, but the Niners just went through a training camp and offseason with Lance under center. That meant new wrinkles in the offense specific to Lance, receivers adjusting to his arm strength in terms of timing and a different voice in the huddle. It's not a huge ask, but the sooner the Niners and Garoppolo get back to where they've been, the better their chances to make a run this season."
FOX Sports Writer Dan Helman
"Of course, it's a massive bummer that Lance's season is over before it really got started, but we have a much better idea of who this team is with Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm. When he entered for Lance, things looked awfully familiar, with the ground game rumbling and Jimmy G making the obvious plays in an easy win over Seattle."
A majority of the NFC West was able to turn things around in Week 2, but victories didn't earn every team upwards movement in the rankings. The Los Angeles Rams fell out of the top 5, now sitting at No. 6, following their 31-27 win over the Atlanta Falcons. After defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 29-23 in overtime, the Arizona Cardinals are now ranked No. 14, up eight spots from last week. Seattle, who was on the losing end of things at Levi's® Stadium, fell six spots to a No. 24 ranking.
