Now that Tuesday is upon us, the media will distribute their various power rankings following the conclusion of week two. There are still plenty of question marks around the league, but that won't stop folks from starting to make some conclusions early on.
For the Bay Area teams, both are shrouded in serious question marks following a pair of heart-breaking losses. The Oakland Raiders dropped a thriller to the Buffalo Bills in arguably the best game of the weekend. The Raiders led 21-3 at halftime but were overwhelmed by the explosive Bills offense. The San Francisco 49ers led 14-0 in the second quarter and by ten points in the fourth quarter, but could not hold off Tony Romo and company, punctured lung and all. They dropped a 27-24 defeat in overtime.
SB Nation released their NFL Power Rankings, Week 3 and the results for the 49ers and Raiders are about what I expected in terms of changes. The 49ers dropped one spot and the Raiders climbed one spot. I don't think either team will lose much ground if any due to their losses. They could be punished for blowing leads, but that kind of thing happens in the NFL.
I would argue that the Raiders are underrated in SB Nation's rankings. They are ranked No. 23 while the 49ers are No. 20. I happen to be a 49ers fan but I ranked the Raiders higher by one spot in my own week three NFL power rankings. I think they're fairly close for now, but we'll see if they get any separation in coming weeks.