The 49ers entered the season as considerable favorites to win the NFC West, but they could wind up eliminated from the divisional race with three games to play.
That’s the biggest storyline out of San Francisco’s mostly lifeless “Thursday Night Football” loss to the Rams, which saw a strong defensive start quickly become overshadowed by offensive struggles in ugly conditions. L.A. struggled on the offensive end as well, but Sean McVay found a way to extend drives in the second half and close out the Rams’ second win in five days.
The Rams are suddenly serious players in the NFC West, while the first team out could be the one that saw this season as a Super Bowl-or-bust campaign.
Here’s a look at how the Rams’ win impacts the NFC West standings and each team’s playoff chances.
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NFC West standings
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Seahawks | 8-5 |
| 2 | Rams | 8-6 |
| 3 | Cardinals | 6-7 |
| 4 | 49ers | 6-8 |
The Seahawks still lead the NFC West by a half-game, but a Seattle loss to Green Bay this weekend would be enough to put the Rams at least temporarily in front.
The 49ers, meanwhile, trail by 2.5 games and are at an extreme tiebreaker disadvantage with a 1-4 divisional record and a season sweep at the hands of the Rams.
Here’s each team’s outlook after the Rams’ “Thursday Night Football” victory.
Seahawks playoff picture
The Seahawks are red hot, but they have work to do to stay at the top of the NFC West in what is quickly becoming a two-team race.
The 49ers’ odds are distant and the Seahawks have made it extraordinarily difficult for the Cardinals to catch up considering they swept Arizona this season, which is all positive news for Geno Smith and co., but the Rams now control their own fate. Why? Seattle and L.A. face off in Week 18 in what could be a win-or-go-home game.
Before the Seahawks can get there, they have tough home matchups with the contending Packers and Vikings. A win over Green Bay on Sunday would keep Seattle on top of the NFC West, while a loss would put the Rams in front due to L.A.’s temporary head-to-head tiebreaker.
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Rams playoff picture
The Rams control their own fate in the NFC West even if the Seahawks win on Sunday, as they play Seattle in Week 18 and would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win. A Seahawks loss to Green Bay would give the Rams the division lead entering Week 16.
The wild-card race is still a factor for the Rams as well, as they only trail the Commanders by a half-game in the chase for the NFC’s No. 7 seed.
Cardinals playoff picture
The Cardinals were leading the NFC West less than three weeks ago, but two losses to the Seahawks and a blown lead against the Vikings have sunk Arizona’s division title chances to the slim range.
Now two games behind the Seahawks and the head-to-head tiebreaker in Seattle’s hands, the Cardinals need to start winning again and hope for some losses by both of the teams ahead of them.
49ers playoff picture
The 49ers can be eliminated from NFC West contention with a Seahawks win over the Packers on Sunday. Even if Seattle wins, San Francisco needs to win out and hope both the Seahawks and Rams collapse down the stretch, considering L.A. holds the head-to-head tiebreaker after sweeping the season series with Kyle Shanahan’s squad.
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