NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs, Ravens remain hot as facilities begin to reopen

The San Francisco 49ers represented the NFC in the Super Bowl this past season and while they ended up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, they remain the best team in the NFC to kick off this season. The reason for that is that their depth chart is largely unchanged from a season ago as the majority of their star players were retained — and those who left were adequately replaced.

One example is at defensive tackle where the team traded away DeForest Buckner and received the No. 13 overall pick in exchange from the Indianapolis Colts. They then dropped down in the draft to add more picks and landed South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw who can start right away in Buckner’s place ‚— while also saving the team money against the cap.

They also lost Emmanuel Sanders who they added in a trade last season while making a run at the title. In his place will be ASU wideout Brandon Aiyuk, who was their second pick in the opening round. Also during the draft, they made a trade with the Redksins to acquire Trent Williams, a former All-Pro left tackle. Williams will replace Joe Staley who retired that same weekend.

All that being said, the 49ers are still a team led by a dominant defense with an offense that can put up just enough points to find themselves victorious in the majority of their games. Their arrow is still pointing up and they’re one of the top contenders in 2020.