49ers' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Bracket Implications of Week 12
The San Francisco 49ers will likely need some help from the opponents of their closest rivals in Week 12.
San Francisco will visit the Green Bay Packers without injured quarterback Brock Purdy.
Kyle Shanahan's team could still win with backup Brandon Allen in charge, but in case Sunday's game results in a loss, it could use some losses by its NFC West rivals to avoid a far drop off in the NFC wild-card race.
The 49ers are 1.5 games adrift of the Washington Commanders for the final wild-card spot, but they are in 10th place in the NFC behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.
The Niners are also still in the mix for the NFC West title. The Arizona Cardinals are ahead of them, the Rams and Seahawks by a game going into Week 12.
The gap to first place in the West has the potential to be the same, even with a Niners loss, if the Cardinals stumble on the road in Seattle.
Seahawks over Cardinals
The 49ers are better off rooting for the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals.
San Francisco has a closer gap to make up in the division and an Arizona loss brings it closer to the field in the NFC West.
The Niners already split their regular-season meetings with Seattle and they have one matchup left with the Cardinals.
They need the Cardinals to either completely drop off, or be within reach in Week 18 to overtake them with a win.
An Arizona win does no good for the 49ers' division title hopes, which at this point is the most plausible way into the postseason.
A Seattle win would keep the Seahawks ahead of the 49ers in the NFC West and wild-card standings, but in that scenario, both Arizona and Seattle would be 6-5 and only a game at most ahead of the Niners.
Eagles over Rams
There's no question about who the 49ers will root for on Sunday night.
The Niners would love for the Philadelphia Eagles to extend their winning streak to seven games and drop the Los Angeles Rams to 5-6.
Leaving the weekend with two 6-5 foes and a 5-6 rival in the NFC West is ideal in case the Niners struggle with Allen at quarterback in Green Bay.
In the best-case scenario, the Niners would upset the Packers and have a one-game advantage over the Rams.
If that's the case, the Niners would have a chance to bury the Rams' playoff chances in Week 15 by potentially creating a multi-game gap between the NFC West rivals.
Cowboys over Commanders
There's always room to dream, right?
The Dallas Cowboys probably aren't beating the Washington Commanders, but it is a result the Niners must root for.
Washington is up on the 49ers by 1.5 games in the wild-card race, and some doubt may be creeping in with the Commanders after two straight losses.
A Dallas win would be a major help to the 49ers, especially if they lose in Green Bay.
A defeat to the Packers would put Green Bay up by three games and a head-to-head tiebreaker over the 49ers. A gap like that seems insurmountable.
Making up 1.5 games or less on the Commanders is still reasonable, and if a Dallas upset happens, the 49ers' path to the playoffs through the final wild-card spot is still alive.