Although Football Outsiders uses a more objective tool for rating out the 32 NFL teams, DVOA can still reflect what a lot of us think about the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders. In their DVOA ratings through week nine, Football Outsiders continues to rate the 49ers No. 4 in both total DVOA and weighted DVOA. They rank the Raiders No. 21 in Total DVOA and No. 23 in Weighted DVOA.
The 49ers DVOA rating will be worth following this week as they face a highly rated New York Giants team. The Giants DVOA ranks No. 6 overall and would give the 49ers a nice little jolt after facing a pair of teams in the bottom third of the league. The Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns presented their own unique challenges, but the Giants bring a whole something else to the table.
The Raiders face off against a Chargers team that rates out one spot higher. Kansas City and Denver both rank below the Raiders as the AFC West is turning into a war of attrition where the last man standing wins. None of the teams is going to be particularly highly ranked at the end of the season in any power rankings, subjective or objective. It is just a matter of getting enough wins in a struggling division.
Here is how Football Outsiders ranks the top ten teams in overall efficiency (DVOA):
1. New York Jets
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Houston Texans
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. New York Giants
7. Atlanta Falcons
8. Detroit Lions
9. New England Patriots
10. Buffalo Bills