NFC West power rankings: Seahawks surge, 49ers free-fall in Week 4

After three weeks, the 49ers might be entering full-panic mode after an epic collapse against NFC West rivals, the Rams. Meanwhile, the Seahawks keep cruising.

It wasn't supposed to be this way nearing the first-quarter mark of the regular season.

The San Francisco 49ers, raging from yet another tough Super Bowl loss the previous February, were supposed to run through the rest of the conference like a gauntlet, certainly dominating the rest of the NFC West along the way, while the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams would muddle around in the middle ahead of the still-going-to-find-a-way-to-finish-last Arizona Cardinals.

Nope. Not even close.

Instead, it's the Hawks who are surging, while the Niners appear to be on the verge of a complete collapse just three weeks into the year, falling victim to the now-apparent flaws on all three phases.

It's still early, yes. But three of the four NFC West teams are below the .500 mark. And, based on who has beaten who out of those three, San Francisco has nothing to brag about.

Let's just get our NFC West power rankings entering Week 4 out of the way, please.

NFC West power rankings, Week 4

Sure, Seattle didn't face much of a contest by beating up on a Miami Dolphins team that's without a concussed quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, and was missing running back Raheem Mostert, cruising to a 24-3 victory in the Pacific Northwest.

But the Seahawks simply played a banged-up team at the right time, handled their business and improved to a perfect 3-0 to take a commanding lead within the division. And it appears as if the connection between quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver D.K. Metcalf is functioning at full throttle.

If the Hawks make it a perfect 4-0 next week by beating the Detroit Lions, they'll be for real.

After walloping the Rams the previous week, Arizona came back to earth a bit in Week 3, falling victim to the aforementioned Lions team that choked off time of possession and held the Cardinals to a 1-of-9 mark on third downs.

While it seems analysts were right to peg Detroit ahead of San Francisco in overall NFL power rankings to begin the year, Arizona has to get some credit, too, for hanging in against a Lions team that looks poised to make yet another deep postseason run.

Oddly enough, thanks to an inter-divisional win over LA already, the 1-2 red birds are second within the NFC West and in our division power rankings, too.

Los Angeles wasn't in an enviable position entering Week 3. Winless after two weeks and missing a plethora of offensive and defensive talent, welcoming in an angry 49ers squad to SoFI Stadium that was coming off a tough loss to the Minnesota Vikings the previous week seemed like a recipe for an 0-3 start.

For much of the game, it looked as if that'd be the case.

However, despite missing wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua because of injury, quarterback Matthew Stafford nevertheless carved up the Niners defense over the second half, overcome two 10-point deficits.

Plenty of credit has to go to the Rams' special teams unit, too, which thoroughly fooled and outplayed the same group from the Niners.

How the mighty have fallen.

Quarterback Brock Purdy was outstanding, and so was wide receiver Jauan Jennings with his three-touchdown performance, plugging the gap while stars like wideout Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle were out with injuries.

But, as it did the previous week after an MVP-level performance by linebacker Fred Warner against the Vikings, San Francisco wasted Purdy and Jennings' efforts by so many different ways.

On the offensive side, six dropped passes from Purdy's receiving targets. On defense, coordinator Nick Sorensen couldn't seem to find whatever coverages would mesh with the correct pressure.

Don't even start with special teams, which was atrocious.

Los Angeles has long since been the 49ers' "get right" opponent every year. But, after finding multiple ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a single game, the Niners are deserved basement-dwellars entering Week 4.

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