Coming out of their long-awaited and much-needed bye week, the San Francisco 49ers inched closer to clinching a spot in the postseason on Sunday afternoon, riding a brilliant performance from Brock Purdy to take a 37-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
But while the Niners improved to 10-4 with the win, they failed to gain any ground in the NFC West race, as both the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks upped their respective records to 11-3 with wins of their own in the late-afternoon slot of the Sunday slate. For a little while, however, it looked as if both were on their way to losses.
Squaring off with the Detroit Lions, the Rams found themselves down 24-14 late in the second quarter after Jared Goff and Jameson Williams connected for a 31-yard touchdown. Los Angeles was able to cut the lead to seven with a 37-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis as time expired before the half and then dominated the final 30 minutes, scoring 17 unanswered points in the third quarter and ultimately outscoring Detroit 24-10 in the second half en route to a 41-34 victory.
As for the Seahawks, they found themselves in a fight with 44-year-old Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts. And just like Los Angeles, Seattle got down by 10 late in the second quarter, 13-3, but also cut the lead to seven on a field goal with all zeroes on the clock going into the break.
Unlike the Rams, however, the Seahawks certainly didn't dominate the second half and found themselves down 16-15 after Colts kicker Blake Grube drained a 60-yard field goal with just 47 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. But just 29 second later, Seattle kicker Jason Myers hit his sixth field goal of the day, connecting on a 56-yarder to give the Seahawks an 18-16 lead. And when Coby Bryant intercepted Rivers on the opening play of the ensuing drive, that was all she wrote.
Had both the Rams and Seahawks lost, the Niners would have actually moved into first place in the NFC West, as they would have won the three-way tiebreaker. But there's nothing that can be done about that now.
Instead, it's time to turn attention toward Week 16, where San Francisco is guaranteed to get some help. But there is a catch.
Rams and Seahawks open Week 16 against one another, while Niners close the week out against Colts
So, as you can see from that headline above, this week will play a pivotal part in the race for the NFC West, as the Rams and Seahawks will open Week 16 against one another in Seattle on Thursday Night Football.
As such, barring an unforeseen tie, the loser of this critical matchup will obviously fall to 11-4, while the winner will improve to 12-3 and be leading the division no matter how the Niners fare when they close out the Week 16 slate on Monday Night Football against the same Colts team that just gave the Seahawks all they could handle.
The 49ers will undoubtedly be pulling for Seattle to win, as that just makes life easier if certain tiebreakers come into play down the line. But no matter what the outcome of that game, San Francisco would still take over second place as long as Kyle Shanahan & Co. take care of their own business against Indianapolis.
If the 49ers and Seahawks are both 11-4 at week's end, San Francisco wins the tiebreaker due to its Week 1 victory over Seattle, with the second matchup between the two clubs set for Week 18. And if San Francisco and Los Angeles, who split the season series, both end the week at 11-4, the Niners would win the tiebreaker due to having a better record within the division, as they'd be 4-1, with the Rams falling to 3-2.
Again, though, those scenarios only play if the 49ers beat the Colts. Otherwise, we're looking at entirely new picture, one in which San Francisco would likely have to settle for a Wild Card spot. But we'll cross that bridge if it comes.
For now, let's sit back and see how Week 16 plays out.