Updated NFC West standings, playoff picture after 49ers lost to Browns
By Peter Panacy
Losing to the Browns was tough, but it surprisingly doesn't do much to the 49ers' overall playoff picture within the division and the conference.
Considering how poorly the San Francisco 49ers offense played during their 19-17 Week 6 road loss to the Cleveland Browns, it's amazing that head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad was in a position to come away with a victory in the game's final seconds.
Too bad for rookie kicker Jake Moody, though, right?
As linebacker Fred Warner pointed out after the game (and he's not blaming Moody), the Niners squandered plenty of chances and failed to "earn it," whereas Cleveland did.
Now at 5-1, San Francisco can at least alleviate the pressure of trying to keep an undefeated streak going.
While the loss is tough, as all of them are, it surprisingly has very little bearing on the 49ers' overall playoff picture within the NFC West and the conference as a whole.
NFC playoff picture: 49ers a top-2 seed after Week 6 loss
The Niners retain their top spot in the NFC West, and while they don't gain more separation on the second-place Seattle Seahawks (who lost to the Cincinnati Bengals), the Hawks weren't able to gain ground either.
The Los Angeles Rams remain in third place within the division, while the one-win Arizona Cardinals are last.
As for the NFC in its entirety, San Francisco does drop down from the No. 1 seed to No. 2, flipping spots with the Philadelphia Eagles because of tiebreakers. However, Philly lost to the New York Jets on Sunday, too, meaning there are no more undefeated teams in the league.
The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, continue to surprise.
NFC playoff picture, Week 7
- Philadelphia Eagles (5-1)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-1)
- Detroit Lions (5-1)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
- Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-2)
- Los Angeles Rams (3-3)
Remember, the first four seeds are division winners, and the No. 1 seed gets a bye during the Wild Card round.
Those are scenarios to worry about many weeks from now, but if the season was to end today, the 49ers would host the Rams on Wild Card weekend.
Lots of football left, though.
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