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The 49ers needed to beat the Bengals. A loss would’ve been a pretty sizable setback when compounded with their Week 13 defeat. A win was a huge step toward securing a playoff berth and now the path is clear.
Based on the NFC playoff picture and realistic outcomes, it looks like 9-8 will get at least the No. 7 seed in the conference. At 7-6, the 49ers need just two more wins and have home games against the Falcons and Texans left. They also hit the road to face the Titans and Rams. Wins in any two of those games should be enough. Wins in three would guarantee a playoff spot.
While a 49ers win was good, a Washington loss to Dallas was also helpful in San Francisco’s quest for a postseason berth since it dropped Washington to the No. 7 seed and vaulted the 49ers up a spot. There was also some movement at the top of the conference after the Rams knocked off the Cardinals on Monday Night Football.
Here are the updated playoff standings after 14 weeks:
1. Packers (10-3)
2. Buccaneers (10-3)
3. Cardinals (10-3)
4. Cowboys (9-4)
5. Rams (9-4)
6. 49ers (7-6)
7. Washington (6-7)
8. Vikings (6-7)
9. Eagles (6-7)
10. Falcons (6-7)
11. Saints (6-7)
12. Panthers (5-8)
13. Seahawks (5-8)
It’s still extremely crowded, which is why the 49ers can’t afford to drop games to Atlanta and Houston. They’ve opened a little bit of a margin for error, but it’s easy to see them falling out of the picture if they stumble and a couple teams behind them in the standings get hot down the stretch.