2024 NFC Preseason Power Rankings: Can the 49ers overcome history?

The 49ers enter the regular season off a Super Bowl loss. Are they still the favorites in the NFC?

This upcoming season has been labeled “The Last Dance” for the San Francisco 49ers as they attempt to overcome the dreaded Super Bowl hangover for the second time under Kyle Shanahan.

Talent isn’t an issue, as the Niners bring back everybody from a historic offense outside of tight ends Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley. Unlike last summer, quarterback Brock Purdy was able to throw passes this offseason. Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk have yet to participate in training camp, but not much evidence suggests they won’t be out there by Week 1.

The defense lost critical starters on the defensive line and replaced them with Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins, Jordan Elliott, and Yetur Gross-Matos. We will find out if health and quantity supersede high-end quality this season, even if you’re not guaranteed an entire season from said player.

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw remains out, while Talanoa Hufanga has a chance to return by Week 1. On paper, the defense should be a top-10ish unit, which should be plenty if the offense is 80 percent of what it was in 2023.

It’s naive to act as if the rest of the NFC remained stagnant this offseason. The 49ers will have challengers, and reaching the Super Bowl might be more challenging than ever. Let’s run through the 16 teams in the conference and rank each team ahead of the regular season.

16 – New York Giants

Punting on the opportunity for a franchise quarterback and signing Daniel Jones to an extension is how you end up with the worst record in the NFC. The Giants have pieces defensively after acquiring Brian Burns, and you can’t blame them for letting Saquon Barkley walk. There’s a core in place with Malik Nabers, but Jones is too mistake-prone to trust in the long run.

15 – Carolina Panthers

The good news for Carolina is it can’t get worse than last season. An offensive-minded head coach should help Bryce Young in Year 2. The addition of Dionte Johnson and Robert Hunt will also be a factor. Carolina will be a feisty team this season, and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will be on the shortlist of head coach candidates after this year. Still, it’s a competitive conference, and the Panthers are a year or two away from taking the next step.

14 – Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray performed well when he had a receiver he could trust on the perimeter. He has that this season in rookie Marvin Harison Jr. The problem is there isn’t much in the cupboard outside of him. Arizona had a solid draft full of players who should contribute early, but stops will be difficult to come by this season, which is why they’re ranked so low.

13 – New Orleans Saints

Poor Chris Olave. Watching the Saints in Week 2 of the preseason made me feel bad for the wide receiver who was consistently open, but his quarterback, for whatever reason, would not throw him the ball or throw him an accurate pass.

New Orleans is old and slow on defense. That’s not going to win in 2024. Neither is Derek Carr as your quarterback. I’ll believe the Saints will be good when I see it.

12 – Tampa Bay Buccanneers

Hats off to Baker Mayfield. He willed the Bucs to an improbable run last year and was rewarded with a contract this offseason—one that he earned. Tampa Bay decided to run it back and re-sign Mike Evans, draft Graham Barton to protect Baker and try to outscore opponents this year.

They’ll have to.

It’s not so much the defensive talent to doubt —Vita Vea, Joe Tryon, Lavonte David, Antoine Winfield, and Jamel Dean make for a great core. We’re seeing the NFC evolve into a bunch of Shanahan-style offenses. We’ve seen what those offenses do against a Todd Bowles defense. Bowles has not moved off his original principles, which is why I believe Tampa Bay takes a step back this season.

Regression feels inevitable for the Bucs.

11 – Washington Commanders

If Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott can succeed in the NFC East, why can’t Jayden Daniels? The Giants made the playoffs in 2022 with Danny Dimes! Daniels is a rookie, and he will have growing pains, but he’ll run his way out of trouble. Plus, Washington has three legitimate receivers.

Dan Quinn should help improve the Commanders defensively, as will the addition of Bobby Wagner. The Commanders will flirt with .500 in 2024 and lean on a stout interior defensive line.

10 – Minnesota Vikings

Darnold gets his 18th chance in the NFL. In his one start with the 49ers last year, you could see why he rode the pine after throwing across his body late over the middle 40 yards down the field.

But there’s talent there, and this will be the biggest asterisk of the season: If Darnold can play within the structure of the offense, I believe Minnesota is too talented to be a bad team with Brian Flores as the defensive coordinator and Kevin O’Connell as the head coach.

Darnold has Aaron Jones in the backfield and Justin Jefferson to throw the ball to. Plus, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockensen. Their line is also above average. Defensively, Flores will force teams into mistakes, and adding Stephon Gilmore fortifies the secondary.

9 – Seattle Seahawks

Seattle hit a home run when they inked Mike Macdonald as head coach. He’s been successful at every stop, and that won’t change with the Seahawks. Seattle has one of the top quarterbacks in the division, and if they play through Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett instead of DK Metcalf, we could be talking about a playoff team.

But they’ll begin the season with right tackle Abraham Lucas on the PUP. Negative plays and playing behind the chains haunted Seattle last season.

Defensively, like the Saints, Seattle is big and slow up front. To be clear, there are good players along the defensive line, but hanging your hat on Leonard Williams as your best pass rusher isn’t a recipe for success.

I don’t see the Seahawks getting off the field against the high-powered offenses in the conference, which puts pressure on Geno. Perhaps too much.

8 – Dallas Cowboys

Mike McCarthy survives another season thanks to winning when it doesn’t matter— in the regular season. Dallas will likely start two rookies along the offensive line. They are also starting the ghost of Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield. That means the onus will be on Dak Prescott to do the heavy lifting all season.

Nobody would dispute the Prescott to CeeDee Lamb duo. But are teams going out of their way to game plan for Brandin Cooks? Jalen Tolbert? Jake Ferguson? Unlikely.

Mike Zimmer returns to the sidelines, and as much as I like Zim, I think the Cowboy’s back seven gets torched this season, and they will miss the playoffs.

7 – Los Angeles Rams

Sean McVay is one of the best coaches in the NFL. I feel the same about Matthew Stafford. Yes, Aaron Donald is no longer around, and you don’t replace the best player of this generation with a pair of draft picks.

But the Rams have another year of Puka Nacua, a healthier version of Cooper Kupp, and a pair of running backs that will make that offense difficult to contain. The other side of the ball will continue to be a work in progress, but the Rams made just enough additions to keep them competitive.

If Stafford is healthy, the Rams will win nine or ten games.

6 – Green Bay Packers

The Packers gave the Niners everything they could handle last season. That should give Jordan Love all the confidence he needs. I think Love will take the next step this season and perform like an MVP-caliber player, and Green Bay will run its offense through Jayden Reed and their young tight ends. They will be a problem, especially with Josh Jacobs and that offensive line.

I think Green Bay makes more noise in the playoffs than in the regular season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see their defense be more boom or bust while they figure out who can do what, but they are incredibly deep up front, which should mask any issues at the second level. The secondary gets an upgrade with Xavier McKinney, too.

5 – Chicago Bears

The Bears are going to be a problem defensively. You won’t be able to throw the ball on them, and good luck running it. Offensively, Chicago gets a monumental upgrade at quarterback. Add Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen to the mix, and you get one of the top teams in the conference.

Offensive line play might leave something to be desired and ultimately be the reason the Bears don’t make a playoff run, but their skill players are absurdly good, there’s speed in the backfield, and I’m not betting against what should be a top secondary in the NFL.

4 – Philadelphia Eagles

Once again, the Eagles benefit from playing in the NFC East. They have two dynamic receivers, but kudos to anybody who can name the Eagles WR3. Losing Jason Kelce means you have to shuffle players around the offensive line. Saquon is undoubtedly an upgrade. But how will Jalen Hurts mesh with Kellen Moore?

Defensively, Jalen Carter will be a force, but paying Bryce Huff to be “the guy” when we haven’t seen him in a full-time workload leaves a big question mark. The Eagles drafted speed in the secondary, but Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are rookies, and relying on first-year players in the secondary isn’t something we see often.

The Eagles will be fine in the regular season, but their coaching and weaknesses will get exposed in the playoffs.

3 – Atlanta Falcons

“Team that should have won double-digit games with Desmond Ridder adds Kirk Cousins and gets a soft schedule.”

The Falcons also drastically upgrade their coaching with Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson. It might not be wise to project a fully healthy Cousins, but the NFC South is a disaster of a division that the Falcons should be OK regardless.

Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons add a much-needed veteran presence, experience, and overall skill for Morris. Atlanta’s secondary is also quite good, which is why I’m bullish on this team.

2 – San Francisco 49ers

There will be an extended season preview for the 49ers before Week 1. A loaded roster is difficult to doubt. Injuries are always a concern, but there aren’t many holes to poke when you go position by position.

The offensive line will be better than many believe, making the skill players and Purdy better.

In my opinion, the defense will take a step back. The loss of Arik Armstead and Dre Greenlaw will be too much to overcome, but that doesn’t mean this unit will be below average. The secondary will be better than ever, and turnovers will save the day.

I’m not sure any of it will matter, as the offense will continue to score in bunches, putting pressure on the opposing offense, which plays right into Nick Bosa’s hands.

1 – Detroit Lions

Ben Johnson remaining with the Lions was the biggest offseason win for any team. Jared Goff looks like he belongs, and Detroit brings back Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, and a tight end who is in the same class as George Kittle and Travis Kelce.

The Lions seem like the type of team to roll in the regular season. With the free-agent signing of Carlton Davis and the draft of Terrion Arnold in the first round, the Lions will be much improved in the secondary. Detroit gets the first-round bye but gets upset in the Divisional Round.

Only three teams have lost the Super Bowl and gone back and won it the following year:

• Dallas Cowboys (Super Bowl VI)
• Miami Dolphins (Super Bowl VII)
• New England Patriots (Super Bowl LIII)

So, while I’m betting against history, it’s not like there’s a large sample size to go off.

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