49ers' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Bracket Implications of Week 10
Week 10 could turn out to be one of the most important weeks of the 2024 NFL season for the San Francisco 49ers if all goes right.
The 49ers get Christian McCaffrey back for their Sunday afternoon clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their challengers in the NFC West have some tough matchups on paper.
San Francisco needs some help from the AFC East in Week 10. The NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals host the New York Jets and the 4-4 Los Angeles Rams face the Miami Dolphins.
With the Seattle Seahawks off, the 49ers can at least gain ground on one NFC West team with a victory.
The 49ers could also look for help from another AFC East team, the New England Patriots, to clear the Chicago Bears out of the NFC wild-card picture.
Jets over Cardinals
The 49ers would love for the Jets to show a renewed sense of urgency in the desert on Sunday.
Arizona is surprisingly on top of the NFC West with head-to-head wins over the 49ers and Rams.
A loss to drop Arizona to 5-5 could start the downfall of the Cardinals, who play the Seahawks twice in three weeks out of their Week 11 bye. The other game in that stretch is on the road at the Minnesota Vikings.
The Cardinals could go on a four-game losing streak and clear out the division lead for the 49ers.
The Jets are in must-win mode because of their 3-6 record, and if they win twice before their Week 12 bye, they could be in the mix for the AFC wild-card spots.
San Francisco has to hope that the Jets turned a corner and can provide some help to its cause in the NFC West.
Dolphins over Rams
The 49ers would love to see the Rams' three-game winning streak come to a close on Monday night.
The Rams also have the head-to-head tiebreaker edge over the 49ers for now, so any losses are welcome to drop them as far below the Niners as possible.
An argument could be made that Miami needs a win in Week 10 more than any franchise in the NFL.
The Dolphins came close to beating the Buffalo Bills last week, but instead, they are 2-6 and in need of something positive to break in their favor.
From the Dolphins' perspective, a win over the Rams could help them move back up the AFC standings since they host Las Vegas and New England next.
The Rams have a few winnable road games against New England and New Orleans on its schedule before a back-to-back swing against Buffalo and San Francisco.
The 49ers could certainly take care of business on their own, but they would love some help to drop the Rams down the standings before Week 15.
Patriots over Bears
The 49ers will always welcome some help to clear teams out of the NFC wild-card race.
The Patriots, who showed promise in Week 9 behind Drake Maye in Tennessee, could do the 49ers a favor with a win in Chicago.
Chicago is positioned ahead of not just the 49ers, but the Rams, Seahawks and Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card race at the moment.
A Bears loss would open a path for the 49ers and others to chase down the handful of six-win teams currently in the wild-card positions.
The Bears may fade on their own in the second half of the season, but for now, they pose a threat to the 49ers in the wild-card hunt and any losses will be helpful in case the Niners take a week or two to find a rhythm with McCaffrey on the field.