As expected, fresh off their much-needed bye week, the San Francisco 49ers had no problem taking care of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, cruising to a 37-24 victory to reach the 10-win mark for the fourth time in five years.
The defensive effort could've been better, as the Niners surrendered 306 total yards to a Titans team that had previously only hit the 300-yard mark twice this season. Thankfully for San Francisco, the offense was firing on all cylinders early on, scoring on its first five possessions for the first time since 2021.
Brock Purdy led the offensive attack with the best game of his 2025 campaign thus far, completing a season-best 76.7 percent of his passes for 295 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions to earn a season-high 140.3 passer rating, also adding a season-high 44 rushing yards on just seven carries. Christian McCaffrey led the 49ers' rushing attack, going for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Unfortunately for the Niners, they were unable to gain any ground in the NFC West. But they obviously didn't lose any ground either, which is still a good thing at this point in the year.
49ers continue to hold the No. 6 slot in the NFC heading into Week 16
Here's an updated look at the NFC playoff picture as we shift attention to Week 16. As you'll undoubtedly notice, just 10 of the 16 teams in the conference are listed below, as the Minnesota Vikings (6-8), Atlanta Falcons (5-9), New Orleans Saints (4-10), Washington Commanders (4-10), Arizona Cardinals (3-11), and New York Giants (2-12) have all been officially eliminated.
Updated NFC playoff picture
- Los Angeles Rams (11-3, 1st NFC West)
- Chicago Bears (10-4, 1st NFC North)
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-5, 1st NFC East)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7, 1st NFC South)
- Seattle Seahawks (11-3, 2nd NFC West)
- San Francisco 49ers (10-4, 3rd NFC West)
- Green Bay Packers (9-4-1, 2nd NFC North)
- Detroit Lions (8-6, 3rd NFC North)
- Carolina Panthers (7-7, 2nd NFC South)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1, 2nd NFC East)
As you can see, the Niners continue to hold the No. 6 slot, which is where they began the week. For a little while on Sunday, it looked as if San Francisco was set to get a big bump, as both the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks were trailing in their respective games.
But both, of course, came back to win, with the Rams taking a 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions, while the Seahawks needed a late field goal for an 18-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, whom the 49ers will visit next Monday night.
Had Los Angeles and Seattle both lost, San Francisco would have taken over first place in the NFC West via a three-way tiebreaker and also would've taken possession of the No. 1 seed. But what's done is done.
The good news for the 49ers this week is that, barring an unlikely tie, one of those teams will lose this week, as the Rams will visit the Seahawks to open the Week 16 slate on Thursday Night Football. The bad news, though, is that one of these teams will win, meaning no matter what the Niners do against the Colts next Monday, they won't be able to take first place until at least Week 17.
What San Francisco can do in Week 16, however, is offically lock up a postseason spot. So, that'd obviously be a good start.