NFL power rankings: 49ers stay hot, Rams plummet in Week 7

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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 13: Middle linebacker Kwon Alexander #56 and defensive end Arik Armstead #91 of the San Francisco 49ers sack quarterback Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams in the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

42. . 5-0. Previous: . San Francisco 49ers. 2. team

W, 20-7 @ Rams

There’s no denying it any longer. No more calling the 49ers a “fake team” or “pretenders.”

If San Francisco’s dominant win over the Browns in Week 5 wasn’t convincing enough, going into Los Angeles and soundly handling the defending NFC champion Rams most definitely is convincing.

San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

A perfect 5-0, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad used its defense to completely frustrate Jared Goff, holding the entirety of Los Angeles’ offense to just 157 total yards and the lone touchdown. That’s it.

Notable, for a Rams team which entered the contest with the No. 6 scoring offense and the No. 5 offense, in terms of total yardage.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t perfect, tossing an interception early in the game and losing a fumble in the fourth quarter. But he was efficient enough, and even managed to scramble in for a 1-yard touchdown.

But the momentum swing came from a key goal-line stand from the Niners defense, which was on point all game, just like it has been all season. This broke the Rams’ collective back, and it was San Francisco’s game the rest of the way out.

Just imagine it: the 49ers are No. 2 in NFL power rankings nearing the halfway point of the 2019 season. It’s no longer a fantasy, it’s reality.