Niner Noise
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NFL power rankings: 49ers surge in Week 3, while Saints fall

By Peter Panacy

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 15: Richie James #13 and Marquise Goodwin #11 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after Goodwin made a catch for a first down in the third quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 15: Richie James #13 and Marquise Goodwin #11 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after Goodwin made a catch for a first down in the third quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 15: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints injures his throwing hand as he is hit by Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter in the game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 15, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 15: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints injures his throwing hand as he is hit by Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter in the game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 15, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers surge in Niner Noise’s Week 3 NFL power rankings, while the New Orleans Saints lost ugly in L.A. to the Rams. Where does the rest of the league stand two weeks into the 2019 season?

Critics wondering if the San Francisco 49ers would make a dent in NFL power rankings after an ugly Week 1 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had their concerns put to rest in Week 2, following a one-sided 41-17 domination over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 49ers piled up 259 yards of rushing offense during the game, completely taking control before the half and keeping up the momentum throughout all four quarters.

It’s safe to say San Francisco will make a nice little jump in Niner Noise’s Week 3 NFL power rankings.

There are also some shakeups from our Week 2 power rankings, including the New Orleans Saints dropping a bit after losing in ugly fashion to the 49ers’ NFC West division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams.

Aside from the Arizona Cardinals, who may not be as bad as many thought, the 49ers, Rams and Seattle Seahawks have all gotten off to a 2-0 start this season. Teams like the Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers, however, suffered injuries to their starting quarterbacks, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger, respectively, which casts even more shadows on their standings entering Week 3.

Still, there are bottom-feeding teams which are still bad after two weeks. Outside of a number of disappointing squads around the league, fans of teams like the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins are going to be looking forward to the 2020 NFL Draft than game day.

Speaking of those Dolphins, they kick off the list of NFL power rankings heading into Week 3.

And for

good

bad reasons.