The NFC Playoff standings see a change as the 49ers face a bye week.
The San Francisco 49ers crept up the NFC playoff ladder in Week 14, an unexpected lift earned without even taking the field.
While enjoying their bye week, the 49ers watched a chaotic Sunday slate tilt the postseason landscape in their favor, pushing them one step closer to a solid footing in an ultra-crowded conference race.
The most dramatic shakeup came from Green Bay’s win over the Chicago Bears, a result that sent shockwaves across the NFC standings.
Chicago entered the day holding the conference’s top seed, but the loss dropped them all the way down to seventh.
Green Bay, meanwhile, vaulted from the sixth seed to the No. 2 spot, radically tightening the upper tier of the NFC hierarchy.
For the 49ers, who began the week clinging to the final playoff position, the fallout created an immediate opening.
By Sunday night, San Francisco had climbed into the sixth seed, a modest jump on paper but a meaningful one in a race where every inch matters.
NFC Playoff picture through Week 14
1) Los Angeles Rams 10-3 (5-3 in the NFC)
2) Green Bay Packers 9-3 (7-2-1)
3) Philadelphia Eagles 8-4 ( 7-3)
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-6 (5-4)
5) Seattle Seahawks 10-3 (6-3)
6) San Francisco 49ers 9-4 (8-2)
7) Chicago Bears 9-4 (6-3)
8) Detroit Lions 8-5 (5-4)
9) Carolina Panthers 7-6 (5-3)
10 Dallas Cowboys 6-6-1 (3-5-1)
Elsewhere, the NFC West only grew more complicated. The Los Angeles Rams moved to 10–3 after dispatching the Arizona Cardinals, reclaiming the conference’s top seed.
Not far behind, the Seattle Seahawks also improved to 10–3, handling the Atlanta Falcons in a game that was far closer than the final score of 37–9 suggests.
Tied 6–6 at halftime, Seattle eventually pulled away as Atlanta collapsed, a reminder that the Seahawks remain a dangerous, well-balanced team when Sam Darnold controls the offense cleanly.
With both L.A. and Seattle sitting at 10 wins, the division remains wide open, and the 49ers stand to benefit from any stumble by either rival.
Their Week 16 clash, looming large, could ultimately decide not just the division but also the broader NFC playoff layout.
For San Francisco, the week served as a reminder of how abruptly fortunes can shift. Seven days ago, they were outside the playoff frame.
Now they hold the sixth seed and a more straightforward, though hardly guaranteed, path toward January football.
If the postseason began today, the 49ers would be headed to Philadelphia for a rematch with the Eagles.
That storyline alone adds intrigue, but an even more significant development occurred elsewhere: the 49ers’ Week 16 opponent lost its starting quarterback this weekend, a twist Kyle Shanahan and his staff surely won’t overlook.
If the bracket holds, San Francisco would welcome a matchup with an injury-depleted Eagles squad or a favorable draw against Tampa Bay rather than some of the more imposing threats deeper in the conference.