Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers’ standings in expert NFL power rankings for Week 11

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 12: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with teammates after an 11-yard touchdownagainst the New York Giants during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 12: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with teammates after an 11-yard touchdownagainst the New York Giants during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The San Francisco 49ers picked up their first win of 2017, beating the New York Giants 31-21. Niner Noise looks around the league to see what the experts are saying in NFL power rankings heading into Week 11.

Whew! It’s actually nice to call the San Francisco 49ers winners for once.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan picked up his first victory, as the Niners bested the scuffling New York Giants in Week 10 by a score of 31-21.

It was surely a tale of two franchises despite both teams having a combined one win entering the contest. San Francisco certainly appeared to play with more vigor and enthusiasm, while the Giants have appeared to give up on both the season and head coach Ben McAdoo.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

And then, of course, was the emotional celebration by wide receiver Marquise Goodwin after an 83-yard touchdown reception.

As we came to know later, Goodwin and his wife, Morgan, lost their newborn child earlier that morning. It’s impossible for anyone to fathom such a loss without having to go through it. The touchdown and win are small bits of solace here, but it certainly helps.

With San Francisco now 1-9, what are the experts around the league saying in their latest NFL power rankings?

Let’s take a look.

Elliott Harrison, NFL.com: 29 (+1)

"The slow crawl up the pro football ladder has begun in earnest for the pesky 49ers, who lost many a close game this season before earning W1 on Sunday versus the Giants. Good for them, and great for head coach Kyle Shanahan. While the football world has reacted to general manager John Lynch with dulcet tones and beautiful hues, Shanahan drew much criticism for his aversion to the run during Super Bowl LI. Time to let it go. In fact, his Niners’ ground game was formidable against Big Blue. Matt Breida filtered his way through the Giants defense for an impressive touchdown run. Filtered. Wait for it …"

ESPN Stats & Information: 31 (even)

"Do the 49ers have another win in them? If not, they’ll be staring at the first one-win season in the history of the franchise."

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 30 (+1)

"They won a game, and the offense looked good doing so. At some point, though, it’s Jimmy Garoppolo time."

USA Today Sports: 30 (+1)

"Courageous performance by WR Marquise Goodwin hours after tragic death of his son. Niners will win a lot more games building with guys like him."

SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Marquise Goodwin #11 of the San Francisco 49ers breaks a tackle from Janoris Jenkins #20 of the New York Giants on his way to an 83-yard touchdown against the New York Giants during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Marquise Goodwin #11 of the San Francisco 49ers breaks a tackle from Janoris Jenkins #20 of the New York Giants on his way to an 83-yard touchdown against the New York Giants during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: 30 (+1)

"Again, there’s no bigger difference in the NFL than between zero wins and one win. The pressure is off now. The 49ers could go 1-15 and nobody will ever remember. That means if the 49ers want to sit out Jimmy Garoppolo, perhaps in an attempt to flip him in the offseason as some have speculated, they could without worrying about 0-16 infamy."

Chris Simms, Bleacher Report: 30 (+2)

"My good buddy Kyle Shanahan got the proverbial monkey off his back with his first NFL win.One thing we’ve seen all year from the 49ers is Shanahan’s ability to dial up big plays and get guys open in the passing game. Against the Giants, all of his planning produced results on the field—both in the passing game and the running game.The 49ers still create too many self-inflicted wounds at times, and they’re not that talented overall. However, they keep fighting for their coach. There is some young talent to build around with players such as Solomon Thomas, Reuben Foster, George Kittle and Carlos Hyde."

It’s not a surprise to see the Niners climb a spot or two in most experts’ power rankings. After all, there’s little doubting the Cleveland Browns are the worst team in football right now. And with the way things are going for the Giants, they’re clearly trending in the wrong direction.

More from Niner Noise

San Francisco now hits its bye in Week 11, followed by a home contest against the Seattle Seahawks — a team the 49ers haven’t beat since 2013.

Shanahan will have a critical choice to make over the next two weeks. Should he make the switch at quarterback to Jimmy Garoppolo? Or is it worth giving the rookie, C.J. Beathard, another look after his best performance as a pro?

Next: NFL power rankings: Stacking up all 32 teams entering Week 11

Either way, the Niners took a big step in the rebuild process by pulling off their first win. And as Yahoo! Sports’ Frank Schwab pointed out, the team no longer has to worry about being a no-win franchise this year.