“Who is stopping that offense?” Execs weigh in on 49ers’ NFC standing

The Athletic's Mike Sando recently spoke to five NFL executives to rank the top teams in the AFC. Unsurprisingly, the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs led the pack, comfortably ahead of the second-ranked Baltimore Ravens.

Those same NFL executives, whose expertise spans personnel evaluation, contracts, salary cap management, and analytics, also ranked NFC teams. Unsurprisingly, the San Francisco 49ers held a comfortable lead, sitting firmly atop the NFC rankings.

Four of the five executives ranked the 49ers as the top NFC team, with one placing them third, behind the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. That lone executive cited the lingering effects of last season's Super Bowl loss and potential carryover into this season. He also raised concerns about talent erosion and questioned whether key players could stay healthy throughout the grueling season.

"There has been a lot of turmoil, and I don't think they are as deep as they have been in the past," this executive told Sando. "Two of your most important players (Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk) have not practiced. At some point — and this may not be the year, because they are not yet paying the quarterback — it's going to get more challenging."

The 49ers have handed out substantial contracts to several key players in recent years, which has led to depth concerns in certain areas. However, the starting lineup on both offense and defense remains stacked with talent.

"It's all set up for success," The Athletic's Matt Barrows said earlier this week. "I mean, you can take a magnifying glass and find a couple of cracks on this roster, but it's the best roster in the league. It's the best one that I've covered since I started covering this team in 2002. So there's that. This team has an excellent chance of winning the Super Bowl."

One NFL executive Sando spoke with marveled at the 49ers' offensive firepower and questioned how any team could contain it.

"Who is stopping that offense? Are you kidding me?" the executive remarked.

As for the rest of the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams ranked fourth, the Seattle Seahawks ninth, and the Arizona Cardinals 11th out of the 16 NFC teams. The Carolina Panthers found themselves at the bottom of the list.