NFL standings: 49ers still in 1st place in NFC West despite loss to Falcons

The 49ers may have lost ugly to the Falcons in Week 6, but they’re still No. 1 in the NFC West despite having the same record as two other teams.

There are many elements upon which the San Francisco 49ers can lay blame for what happened during their Week 6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Being shut out in the second half by an inferior defense might be embarrassing enough while allowing Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota to complete all his passes until the fourth quarter is going to be something that won’t sit well with defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

Injuries will get some of the blame, too, as the Niners entered the contest awfully shorthanded, including missing six of their defensive starters for the game.

Regardless of all that, though, the 28-14 defeat was a loss for San Francisco, marking yet another game this season head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad probably should have walked away with a victory.

That’s arguably three on the year now.

Now, facing a still-long list of injuries, the 49ers head home for what’ll be an enticing matchup with the 4-2 Kansas City Chiefs, a rematch of Super Bowl LIV that most Niners fans would probably like to forget.

If San Francisco bounces back from that game, perhaps what happened in Week 6 will be easily forgotten.

NFL standings: 49ers stay in 1st place in NFC West despite Week 6 loss

The 49ers getting those two NFC West wins over both the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams earlier this year have gone a long way to ensure Shanahan’s team stays atop the division in NFL standings.

At the conclusion of Week 6, the NFC West standings are now as follows:

1. San Francisco 49ers (3-3)
2. Los Angeles Rams (3-3)
3. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)
4. Arizona Cardinals (2-4)

Both the Niners and Rams would be in the playoffs if the season were to end this week, while Seattle and Arizona are still on the outside, looking in.

Following San Francisco’s matchup against Kansas City, Week 8 will be of interest as the 49ers head to Southern California to take on LA for both teams’ second matchup of the season against each other.

The Niners won their Week 4 contest over their Southern California rivals by a score of 24-9 in what was thought to be a turnaround game for San Francisco.

Week 6’s loss might have knocked that back a bit.

But, assuming the 49ers get healthy in time for Week 8, perhaps their notable domination over Los Angeles continues, which should help spark the Niners’ command of the NFC West.