NFL power rankings for 49ers, NFC West ahead of 2019 free agency

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SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 30: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines during their preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi’s Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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Yes, the 49ers still finish in third place in the NFC West NFL power rankings, which is already following 2018 standings — exactly what we said wouldn’t happen.

But the difference between the Niners and Cardinals is pretty vast. While the 49ers are still going through a rebuild, per se, they’re infinitely further along than Arizona is at this point. And there are plenty of reasons to suspect San Francisco gets much stronger during the offseason.

San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

For starters, it’s going to help immensely getting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Jerick McKinnon back from 2018 ACL injuries. The 49ers’ season last year was lost, for all intents and purposes, when those two went down. And unlike the Cardinals, the 49ers aren’t a roster rebuild away from being legitimate playoff contenders.

The attempt to improve the number of areas needing help should be aided by the $60-plus million general manager John Lynch will have at his disposal in free agency. Top targets, including Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, should vastly improve a defense that ranked 28th in scoring and had the league’s fewest turnovers last year.

And in a deep defensive class, the Niners’ first pick (No. 2 overall) in the upcoming NFL Draft should land a top-tier defender capable of improving a so-so pass rush.

The good news for San Francisco is this is a team trending in the right direction, which is not the case for the next team on our divisional NFL power rankings, the Rams.