The San Francisco 49ers' season has been on the brink for weeks, and the Week 13 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills certainly didn't help their playoff chances. They have more than enough injuries to make their situation worse, especially with Christian McCaffrey having a knee injury that could cost him the remainder of his season.
Even with all the 49ers injuries -- and San Francisco sitting in last place in the NFC West at 5-7 -- there's still a way for the team to win the division. Of course, the 49ers need a lot of help in the process.
Thanks to the unpredictability of the NFC West, there remains a potential of all four teams tying for the division title at 9-8. In that event, the 49ers would win the division. Here's how the four-way tie is possible, and how the 49ers can win the division via the tiebreaker (via CBS Sports Research).
- The 49ers go 4-1 with a loss vs. the Lions
- The Los Angeles Rams go 3-2 with a loss vs. the 49ers and Cardinals
- The Arizona Cardinals go 3-2 with a loss vs. 49ers and Seahawks
- The Seattle Seahawks go 2-3 with a loss vs. Rams, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears
In this scenario, the 49ers win the division based on the conference-record tiebreaker. The 49ers would be 6-6 in the conference with the best conference record. The Rams and Cardinals would have seven losses in the conference under this scenario, as will the Seahawks (all would finish 5-7 in conference play).
So there is a chance the 49ers can win the NFC West, but a lot needs to fall in their favor. Currently, San Francisco is two back of Seattle (7-5) with five to play. Arizona and Los Angeles are each 6-6.
