NFL standings: 49ers increase NFC West lead after beating Saints

The 49ers can feel better about their NFL standings in the NFC West after they beat the Saints and every other team in the division lost.

While the San Francisco 49ers didn’t receive too many style points from their Week 12 home victory over the New Orleans Saints, watching the Niners pull off a shutout in the 13-0 win while extending a second-half zero-points-allowed streak is pretty notable nevertheless.

And San Francisco has to figure out ways to win those ugly games, too, which is what happened after such a dominant victory the previous week over the Arizona Cardinals.

That victory over Arizona propelled the 49ers into first place within the NFC West, half a game over the Seattle Seahawks, and it’s getting to that time of year when both fans and teams begin to pay attention to the NFL standings anyway.

Those NFL standings in the division also took a turn in Week 12 that benefits the Niners, too.

The Hawks suffered a rather unpredictable loss at home to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders, while the rest of the NFC West didn’t exactly fare too well either aside from San Francisco.

NFL standings: 49ers add one more game to their NFC West lead

By beating the Saints, the 49ers do improve their conference record, but the major tiebreakers within the division are those four wins within the NFC West, two against the Los Angeles Rams and one apiece versus the Cardinals and Seahawks.

However, the Niners received some help from the Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12, as those teams beat their respective NFC West opponents:

• Raiders 40, Seahawks 34 (OT)
• Chiefs 26, Rams 10
• Chargers 25, Cardinals 24

San Francisco picks up a full game in the division, and the NFL standings for the NFC West are as follows:

• San Francisco 49ers (7-4)
• Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
• Arizona Cardinals (4-8)
• Los Angeles Rams (3-8)

The 49ers remain in the No. 3 spot in the NFC playoff picture, but having that extra game within the division is certainly a bonus.

And the Niners hope they can keep the momentum going in Week 13 against the visiting Miami Dolphins.