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Week 5 NFL power rankings: What experts say about the 49ers

By Peter Panacy

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 01: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers watches the action during the first half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 01: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers watches the action during the first half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Niner Noise takes a look around the league to see what experts are saying about the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5 NFL power rankings. Does anyone have the Niners climbing?

The San Francisco 49ers remain winless in 2017 after falling to their division rival, the Arizona Cardinals, 18-15 on the road in Week 4.

This contest marked the third time in four games head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense failed to score a touchdown. And while the Niners defense managed to hold its own for most of the contest, the lack of offensive prowess is a bit concerning.

Needless to say, this is something brought to the attention by many analysts in this week’s NFL power rankings.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Niner Noise currently has San Francisco at No. 30, climbing up a spot from last week, largely due to the defense’s abilities.

But what are the other takes from around the league? Let’s take a look.

Elliot Harrison, NFL.com: 30 (+1)

"The progress through the first month of football hasn’t translated to a win. The 49ers are getting closer. In Week 2, San Francisco gave the division bully Seahawks all they could handle. In Week 3,the 49ers lost to the Rams in the wildest contest 2017 has yet proffered. On Sunday, it took the Cardinals almost 75 minutes to topple Kyle Shanahan’s group. Too many Niner drives stalled in Arizona territory. Field goals = field losses."

ESPN Stats & Information: 29 (even)

"The 49ers are building for the future. The good news is all the young pass-rushers San Francisco has drafted appear to be paying off. The Niners are pressuring quarterbacks at the sixth-highest rate through four weeks. They did so at the fifth-lowest rate last season. Progress."

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 31 (even)

"The defense showed improvement against Arizona, but the offense still seems limited. It’s going to be a long season."

Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: 31 (+1)

"Horseshoes, Hand grenades, Hoyer."

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: 31 (even)

"What happened to the offense that scored 39 points against the Rams? That was the third straight hard-fought, close game the 49ers lost. That can get disheartening in a hurry."

GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers walks on the field during the first half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers walks on the field during the first half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Chris Simms, Bleacher Report: 31 (even)

"The San Francisco 49ers do a lot of positive things offensively. The offense is able to move the ball at times. The problem is that Brian Hoyer isn’t a quarterback who can consistently get the ball into the end zone.Defensively, San Francisco has a sound unit. Coordinator Robert Saleh has it playing physical football, particularly up front. We saw that Sunday, as the 49ers defensive line made life rough for quarterback Carson Palmer and completely shut down the Arizona Cardinals running game.There are pieces in place here, but the 49ers are going to struggle to pull out tight games—as we saw against the Cardinals. Hoyer and the offense drove down the field in overtime but had to settle for a field goal. The secondary then surrendered enough big plays for the Cardinals to march down the field and answer with a game-winning touchdown before the clock ran out.The 49ers had chances to put the game away before overtime. The bottom line, however, is that Hoyer misses too many routine NFL throws for the team to put games away early. That’s going to cost the 49ers all season long."

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Matt Verderame, FanSided: 32 (even)

"The 49ers are going to win under Kyle Shanahan, but it won’t be often this season."

One of the noticeable trends many pundits point out is the 49ers are certainly building towards something better… down the road.

San Francisco’s standing within the bottom tier speaks to the multitude of problems Shanahan and Co. are experiencing, notably on offense. Simply put, the Niners don’t have the offensive personnel to formulate a successful, consistent offense on a day-to-day basis.

Hence the inconsistencies here.

Fortunately, most acknowledge the Niners are gearing up for long-term success, putting the right pieces in place gradually rather than resorting to desperation moves to try and turn 2017 around.

Insofar as helping the team succeed this season, that won’t mean much. But the groundwork appears to be in place for extended success in coming years.

Next: Niner Noise's Week 5 NFL power rankings: 49ers stay low

Right now, that’s about all San Francisco fans can hope for.