Football is a brutal sport. It’s unfair and unforgiving, and it seems like some teams are reminded of it every week.

The Super Bowl LVIII rematch failed to live up to the hype, and now it looks like the 49ers will be without Brandon Aiyuk for the remainder of the season. Deshaun Watson’s tenure in Cleveland just reached an unfortunate new low.

And the NFC North? Yes, it is by far the best division in football.

Here’s where the 49ers stand before the “Monday Night Football” doubleheader:

32. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 31)

Record: 1-6

We knew the magic of Andy Dalton (?) would soon wear off and be ugly. And boy, was it ugly.

31. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 32)

Record: 1-5

Will Levi’s? Mason Rudolph? It doesn’t matter. Bad sales are inevitable for both.

30. New England Patriots (Last week: 30)

Record: 1-6

Drake Maye raises the ceiling for this offense, but it’s a terrible offense, so expect a lot of encouraging performances in tough losses.

29. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 25)

Record: 1-6

Nick Chubb scored in his first game back. I’m thrilled with him. That’s all I have to say about this game.

28. New York Giants (Last week: 28)

Record: 2-5

Absolutely brutal offensive performance from Big Blue. Daniel Jones was sacked seven times. Everything as usual.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 27)

Record: 2-5

The Jags are playing better, as is Trevor Lawrence. Tank Bigsby and Brian Thomas are two young players to rely on in the future.

26. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 27)

Record: 2-4

This offense is almost unwatchable at the moment. It sounds like Tua Tagovailoa is close to a return, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.

25. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 26)

Record: 2-5

Hug the tank. Gardner Minshew is. On the bright side, Brock Bowers could potentially break rookie tight end records following the departure of Davante Adams.

24. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 22)

Record: 2-4 (Monday night football)

The offense needs a strong performance, but a strong Chargers defense may not be the best combination for Kyler Murray and James Conner.

23. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: 24)

Record: 2-4

This offense desperately needs the return of Cooper Kupp. Luckily, Kyren Williams continues to be a touchdown machine.

22. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 20)

Record: 2-5

They were missing their starting quarterback and their top two wide receivers, but would they have had better success against this Denver defense if they had been healthy? The Saints are in free fall.

21. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 21)

Record: 4-3

Anthony Richardson is such a loose cannon that it’s hard to watch. But he’s the future… right? Get Joe Flacco on the TB12 Method.

20. New York Jets (Last week: 18)

Record: 2-5

Aaron Rodgers does not refute the laundered allegations. Will his Davante Adams security blanket eventually help right the ship? I’m not so sure.

19. Denver Broncos (Last week: 23)

Record: 4-3

Bo Nix isn’t bad, but he’s not good. And certainly no better than Brock Purdy, which was an absolutely absurd take, by the way. But his scrambling skills add another dimension to an otherwise boring offense.

18. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 19)

Record: 3-4

Don’t look now, but Joe Burrow and Co. are back on the right track. They do this almost every year folks, we need to stop falling for it.

17. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 17)

Record: 3-2 (Monday night football)

Will anyone step up in the receiving game? They don’t have the weapons to win a shootout, so JK Dobbins will have to do most of the heavy lifting.

16. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 16)

Record: 4-3

A nice comeback win against a good opponent. I’m confident they’ll be the same decent-but-not-great team as last year.

15. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 12)

Record: 3-4

The offense looked absolutely atrocious. Even without Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Christian McCaffrey, it was inexcusable. The injury concerns continue. Things are looking bleak but I still believe they will win the division.

14. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 14)

Record: 3-3 (bye week)

There is tension in Big D. There are fundamental issues that need to be addressed and the next few weeks will determine the direction of the team. You know what, maybe they are “America’s Team” after all.

13. Chicago Bears (Last week: 15)

Record: 4-2 (Bye week)

Caleb Williams and the offense are in full swing heading into the bye week. It’s still early, but maybe they did Finally have found their man. Next week’s matchup against Jayden Daniels should be fun.

12. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 11)

Record: 4-3

Bijan Robinson continues to play well and is very committed, only Kirk Cousins ​​and the passing game take a step back. Imagine that.

11. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 13)

Record: 5-2

Is Jordan Love trying to channel Brett Favre with these multi-touchdown, multi-interception games? An impressive performance from Green Bay’s defense as well.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 10)

Record: 4-2 (Monday night football)

If Baker Mayfield can compete against the Ravens’ defense on Monday night, he could be the leading candidate for MVP. What a wild thought.

9. Washington Commanders (Last week: 8)

Record: 5-2

The NFL is a lot more fun with Jayden Daniels on the field. Need him back asap. Today I learned that Marcus Mariota is still in the league and is a pretty good backup.

8. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 7)

Record: 4-2

Saquon Barkley is a real talent in this offense. Jalen Hurts really doesn’t have to do much when his supporting cast is healthy.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 9)

Record: 5-2

This defense is so, so, so evil. Russell Wilson jumped in straight away and played some pretty good football. The decision to bench Justin Fields was controversial, but I think Russ adds value to the offense.

6. Houston Texans (Last week: 4)

Record: 5-2

CJ Stroud, what happened? Rinse it out and continue.

5. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 6)

Record: 5-2

Amari Cooper had a very nice Bills debut. This trade was a hit. It should pay off.

4. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 5)

Record: 4-2 (Monday night football)

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are a fast-paced duo like we haven’t seen in a long time. Tampa’s defense has some work to do.

3. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 3)

Record: 5-1

They had a duel with probably the best team in the league and almost won. Sam Darnold continues to be awesome and proves that he is an incredibly good game manager.

2. Detroit Lions (Last week: 2)

Record: 5-1

The NFL’s best offense continues to burn against every defense that comes its way. They are now at the top of the NFC North and I don’t think that will change for the rest of the season.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 1)

Record: 6:0

The champions are currently the most vulnerable, but no one can exploit them. The best teams always find ways to win. Patrick Mahomes can literally win with anyone.

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