The San Francisco 49ers looked primed to fight their way back to the playoffs like they have multiple times after slow starts under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
They entered Week 11 at 5-4, and a win over the Seattle Seahawks would have put them in a tie for the NFC West and nipping at the heels of a wild card spot if their division hopes fell short.
Instead, they lost 20-17 at Levi’s Stadium and made what was a relatively clear path to the postseason a lot more cloudy.
Here is where the 49ers sit in the NFC West after Sunday:
1. Cardinals (6-4)
2. Rams (5-5)
3. Seahawks (5-5)
4. 49ers (5-5)
While on the surface this doesn’t look so bad, we have to factor in the reality that the 49ers aren’t playing well enough to believe they’ll win the rest of their games. If they did do that, they’d be in a great spot.
Unfortunately this season has shown us these aren’t the 49ers teams of recent history (read: last season).
So what we have is a team that now at best can split with every team in the division. If they do that they’ll be 3-3 overall in the NFC West. The problem with that is division record is the first tiebreaker after head-to-head matchups. In our scenario the 49ers would go to the division record with any team they tie with, and 3-3 isn’t likely going to cut it.
To win the NFC West the 49ers will now have to go on such a tear that they avoid a tie breaking scenario. Given the struggles this club has dealt with since Week 2, we’re not ready to bank on that just yet.
Perhaps there’s a run in them. Maybe injuries hit other teams or they start playing poorly later in the year and the 49ers scoop up a slew of wins in the final seven games. That would change the calculus.
Where they sit after a Week 11 defeat against the Seahawks, however, the path to the postseason by way of winning the division looks darker than it has in a long time.
