The NFL doesn’t wait around for anyone, and the playoff picture can flip in a heartbeat. For the San Francisco 49ers, the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time-not just for rest and recovery, but because the standings broke in their favor.
Thanks to the Bears falling to the Packers, the Niners now find themselves holding the NFC’s sixth seed. And with four games left on the schedule, they’re getting healthier and potentially welcoming back some reinforcements (not Brandon Aiyuk, though), just as the playoff push hits full throttle.
Let’s take a closer look at those final four games: Tennessee, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Seattle. On paper, this stretch looks manageable.
But in the NFL, paper doesn’t mean much. Still, the landscape has shifted-especially for the teams the 49ers are about to face.
The Titans are in full rebuild mode and currently battling for the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. That’s not a team trending up. The 49ers opened as heavy 12.5-point favorites, and if they play to their potential, that number might even feel conservative.
Next up is a Monday Night Football showdown with the Colts, a game that looked a lot tougher just a few weeks ago. But things changed fast when Daniel Jones went down with an Achilles injury.
The Colts had already cooled off after a midseason surge-even after swinging a deal for Sauce Gardner-and now they’ll finish the year with Riley Leonard under center. No game in this league is a gimme, but this quarterback change shifts the dynamics.
Then come the Bears and the Seahawks, with the season finale at Levi’s Stadium potentially shaping up as a winner-take-all situation. But before we get ahead of ourselves, there’s still some scoreboard watching to do.
Depending on how things shake out tonight between the Eagles and Chargers, the 49ers could inch closer to the NFC’s top seed. As it stands, they’ve got an 18% shot at winning the NFC West.
That number dipped after both Seattle and the Rams picked up wins on Sunday. But there’s still a path-albeit a narrow one.
The Rams head to Detroit this week, while Seattle draws Leonard and the Colts. If the Lions take care of business and Seattle wins, the Rams' division hopes (which sit at 39% with a loss) take a serious hit. The 49ers, meanwhile, need to run the table to have a real shot.
Here’s the full breakdown: the Rams face Detroit, Seattle (on Thursday night), Atlanta, and Arizona. Seattle’s final stretch includes the Colts, Rams, Panthers, and the 49ers.
If the Rams lose to Seattle, and the 49ers win out-including handing Seattle their only loss during that span-then all three teams would finish 13-4. In that scenario, San Francisco wins the NFC West based on tiebreakers and divisional record.
That’s not just a pipe dream. The bye week gave this team a chance to breathe, reset, and gear up for the most important stretch of the season.
They’ve been through the fire already-injuries, tough losses, and all the usual bumps that come with a long NFL season. But this is a group that’s been here before.
They know what it takes.
And now, with four games left, the path is clear: win out, and let the chips fall where they may. The 49ers are healthier, rested, and battle-tested. The stage is set.