The 49ers suffered their first defeat of the year in Week 6, but they didn’t lose their spot atop the NFC standings thanks to the New York Jets. Robert Saleh’s Jets squad knocked off the Eagles 20-14 and removed Philadelphia from the undefeated ranks shortly after the Browns handed San Francisco its first loss of the year.
Losses by the 49ers and Eagles, combined with the Lions’ fourth consecutive victory, leaves three 5-1 teams in the NFC through six weeks.
Here’s what the standings look like one third of the way through the year:
1. 49ers (5-1)
2. Eagles (5-1)
3. Lions (5-1)
4. Buccaneers (3-2)
5. Cowboys (4-2)
6. Seahawks (3-2)
7. Rams (3-3)
The Lions sit at the No. 3 spot because of their conference record. They lost to the Seahawks in Week 2 while the 49ers and Eagles both suffered losses vs. AFC clubs in Week 6.
San Francisco edges out Philly for the top spot thanks to their strength of schedule. 49ers opponents have a combined winning percentage of .441, while Eagles opponents sit with a .429 combined winning percentage.
With no head-to-head matchup yet, no difference in common opponents and identical division records, the tiebreaker would move to strength of victory, which is the combined winning percentage of the teams the 49ers and Eagles have beaten. Since they both have .414 strength of victories, the tiebreak moves on to strength of schedule where the 49ers have a superior mark through six weeks.
This could be a fascinating race down the stretch. Detroit is very good and certainly capable of stealing the No. 1 seed in what appeared before the season to be a two-team race. They won’t face the 49ers or Eagles though, so the tiebreakers could get messy. San Francisco and Philadelphia square off in Week 13 in what could ostensibly become an elimination game in the hunt for the No. 1 seed.
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