Where the 49ers stand after the big win against the Jets – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

It's here, it's arrived and it's beautiful. For the most part.

Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season was eventful. And revealing. The frontrunners proved worthy of the preseason hype, the bottom-ranked teams were tough to watch overall, rookies' debuts were mixed, and key players on contending teams were sidelined due to injury.

Here's where the 49ers and the rest of the league stand after San Francisco's dominant 32-19 win on Monday Night Football:

32. Carolina Panthers (Last week 32)

Yuck. Move on.

31. New York Giants (Last week: 26)

Daniel Jones is a failure. The “reworked” offensive line and defense were mediocre. Will it continue the same for Big Blue this season? Poor Malik Nabers.

30. Denver Broncos (Last week: 29)

Bo Nix completed 26 passes for a whopping 138 yards. Yuck. The defense is average, but this offense could be terrible.

29. New England Patriots (Last week: 31)

It doesn't matter how uncoordinated the Bengals are right now, a win over a Super Bowl contender is impressive. However, it could be the highlight of New England's season.

28. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 30)

Gardner Minshew is serviceable, and as long as he's feeding the ball to Davante Adams, there won't be much drama. And there won't be many wins. This team isn't good.

27. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 28)

Will Levis probably isn't the answer, but Tennessee has to sit it out and wait. It's going to be a season of ups and downs. Mostly downs.

26. Washington Commanders (Last week: 27)

A very nice debut for Jayden Daniels, who looks like a lightweight Lamar Jackson. But this defense…

25. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 25)

Sam Darnold fans, take note. He's not Kirk Cousins, but he should be able to keep the offense going. Expectations aren't high yet, but this could be a great team to root for.

24. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 24)

Kyler Murray and the Birds started out hot, but the defense slowed their momentum. There will be plenty of shootouts this season.

23. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 22)

Please, please, get Justin Herbert some proven weapons in the passing game. This team is set up to win right now, but the offense doesn't reflect that. Fortunately for Jim Harbaugh and Co., JK Dobbins appears to be healthy. Please don't let this be a disaster.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 17)

The defense kept Trevor Lawrence in the game, but he couldn't do much with it. I have serious doubts he's worth $55 million a year.

21. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 21)

Geno Smith is still very average. They will go as far as their running game takes them. They beat a bad team, the jury is still out.

20. Chicago Bears (Last week: 18)

Caleb Williams didn't play well in his first real NFL game, but was rescued by his elite defense with two touchdowns. Nervous as a rookie?

19. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 15)

A difficult start for Captain Kirk and the offense. But after the Achilles tendon injury, I'll let them go. For now.

18. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 11)

There are about a million things I'd rather do than watch Deshaun Watson play football. Luckily for the Browns, their defense should keep them in the game on almost every play. This was not one of those games. They got screwed.

17. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 10)

The offense looked fantastic, but unfortunately Jordan Love's injury will catapult them pretty far down the rankings. They just have to stay afloat with Malik Willis.

16. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 23)

It's not impressive that they're taking the Panthers' brakes off the line, but the offense looks really good. The Saints are lively.

15. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 20)

Anthony Richardson is great. Keep letting him go and don't look back. But that run defense… yuck.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 19)

Baker Mayfield was a hit. Last year was no fluke. Just a decent team overall.

13. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 12)

Scoring only 10 points against the Patriots is a lousy job. The mood in Cincinnati is bad right now, but the Bengals have always had slow starts. They'll be fine.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 16)

Justin Fields stepped in for Russell Wilson and played well. TJ Watt began his annual Defensive Player of the Year campaign. This is a pretty even team, but it won't be the last we hear about this quarterback controversy. Is there one?

11. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: 13)

The injuries to two key attackers and Puka Nacua are a big problem. When they are healthy they are a good team but defense is still a problem.

10. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 14)

It turns out Josh Allen can do it all. Can he get by with a lackluster supporting cast? It certainly seems that way.

9. New York Jets (Last week: 8)

Aaron Rodgers hadn't played more than four snaps in over a year. Offensively and defensively, it was a mixed bag for New York, but with Garrett Wilson, we finally got to see how deadly the future Pro Football Hall of Famer can be. At least in the first half. Give him time, Jets fans.

8. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 9)

Miami-Dade Police did what the Jags defense couldn't: stop Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins offense started slowly but returned to form and pulled out a narrow victory.

7. Houston Texans (Last week: 5)

CJ Stroud and his receiver corps have been as advertised and Joe Mixon looks like an early offseason steal. This offense with a competent running game is a scary thought. I do have a few minor concerns about their secondary, though.

6. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 6)

Dak Prescott secured the sack and showed why he's a smart investment. At least in the regular season. The defense made Watson and the Browns look stupid. Not hard to do.

5. Detroit Lions (Last week: 4)

Jared Goff and the offense weren't exactly impressive against a mediocre Rams defense, but still secured the overtime win. Was it just a slip-up?

4. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 7)

Having Saquon Barkley behind a good offensive line is unfair. The defense was OK, but not great. That may not matter this season. They will be in the tough battle for the top spot.

3. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 3)

They say inches matter, right? What a painful way to lose. Derrick Henry may have lost a step, but that shouldn't be a big deal when Lamar Jackson rushes for 122 yards. They lost to the champs, so no big deal.

2. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 2)

Christian McCaffrey's surprise retirement was a cause for concern for those who had forgotten how strong the 49ers offense is. Have a great day, Jordan Mason and Jake Moody. The NFL's best squad dominated all facets of the game in prime time. The terrible offseason vibe is a thing of the past.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 1)

The defending champions looked great on both sides of the ball. Also, the 31 other teams should be ashamed of themselves for allowing them to draft Xavier Worthy. Seriously?

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