After starting this 2025 NFL season with three consecutive victories, the San Francisco 49ers spent the next seven weeks alternating wins and losses, ultimately dropping to 6-4 on the year with a Week 10 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.
In the three weeks that followed, however, with Brock Purdy back under center and the defense playing some of its best football of the entire campaign, the Niners reeled off another trio of consecutive victories, with wins over the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and Cleveland Browns to get themselves to 9-4 heading into their much-needed bye week.
And it was quite the interesting off-week for San Francisco, as there was quite a bit of movement in the NFC playoff picture. Unfortunately for the 49ers, they didn't get the help they were hoping for as it pertains to the NFC West race, but they did at least see themselves move up a spot in the Wild Card race.
49ers head into Week 15 matchup with Titans as the No. 6 seed in the NFC
Here's a look at the updated NFC playoff picture heading into Week 15. You'll clearly notice that just 11 of the 16 teams are listed, as the Atlanta Falcons (4-9), Arizona Cardinals (3-10), New Orleans Saints (3-10), Washington Commanders, and New York Giants (2-11) have all been officially eliminated from postseason contention.
Updated NFC playoff picture
- Los Angeles Rams (10-3, 1st NFC West)
- Green Bay Packers (9-3-1, 1st NFC North)
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-5, 1st NFC East)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6, 1st NFC South)
- Seattle Seahawks (10-3, 2nd NFC West)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4, 3rd NFC West)
- Chicago Bears (9-4, 2nd NFC North)
- Detroit Lions (8-5, 3rd NFC North)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6, 2nd NFC South)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1, 2nd NFC East)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-8, 4th NFC North)
As you can see, the Niners will enter their Week 15 matchup with the two-win Tennessee Titans as the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
While San Francisco owns the same record as the Chicago Bears, who fell to 9-4 and out of first place in the NFC North with a 28-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the 49ers win the tiebreaker due to having a better record in conference games, going 8-2 against NFC opponents thus far, while Chicago has gone 6-3. That 8-2 mark would also help the Niners if they get into a tiebreaker situation down the road with the eighth-seeded Detroit Lions, who've gone just 5-4 within the conference.
The Niners and Bears will meet in Week 17, and it'll be interesting to see what type of seeding is on the line at that point, as each team is obviously involved in its own division race as well as the Wild Card race.
As mentioned, the 49ers didn't gain any ground in the NFC West while on their bye, as the Los Angeles Rams upped their record to 10-3 with a 45-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals while the Seattle Seahawks also improved to 10-3 with a 37-9 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Rams own the tiebreaker at the moment over the Hawks, as they won the only matchup between the two clubs thus far back in Week 11. Los Angeles and Seattle will meet for the second time to kick off the Week 16 slate on Thursday Night Football.
As far as this week goes, the Rams will host a high-profile matchup, as they welcome the Detroit Lions to SoFi Stadium, while the Seahawks will host the fading Indianapolis Colts, who have lost three straight and also lost quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles injury this past Sunday in a defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Niners will take on those same Colts in Week 16 on Monday Night Football. Before that, however, it's important for San Francisco not to fall into the dreaded "trap game" scenario this Sunday against the Titans.