Undefeated 49ers in the Driver’s Seat in the Sluggish NFC West with a Favorable Schedule Ahead

The 49ers did plenty of winning before playing the Commanders on Monday night. The perks started to roll in well before Washington coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels forgot they had gone for it on fourth down early in the game.

Seriously, the Commanders really forgot what down it was, evident from Daniels throwing the ball out of bounds and Quinn being seen on the sideline mouthing, “Oh, that was fourth down?” Getting to face Washington has become a scheduling perk for teams that prioritize situational football, but that’s beside the point.

San Francisco practically had the game in the bag after building a double-digit lead. It just took a little longer to finalize and required some key defensive plays from safety Malik Mustapha. It got ugly for quarterback Brock Purdy’s offense, but the 49ers handled their business unlike their biggest divisional rivals this past week. After holding on for a 23–17 victory and improving to 6–0, the 49ers might also have the NFC West division in the bag. Perhaps we shouldn’t get too carried away after their second-half play Monday, but it’s hard not to like the 49ers’ odds of cruising to the division title after all that occurred from Thursday night all the way up to kick off for Monday Night Football from Levi’s Stadium. 

It started with the Seahawks falling short in overtime against the Broncos to drop their record to 3–3. As for other bonuses from the Thursday Night Football game, Sam Darnold isn’t protecting the football (seven interceptions) and the offense for the reigning champions has regressed without running back Kenneth Walker III, who’s now powering the Chiefs’ offense. 

As for the not-so-super team from Los Angeles, the Rams might be needing more players to come out of retirement just to field a roster. On Monday, Rams coach Sean McVay announced that wide receiver Davante Adams could miss six to 10 weeks with a hamstring injury, and defensive tackles Poona Ford and Kobie Turner are expected to miss an extended period due to injuries. 

The undefeated 49ers saw the heavy preseason Super Bowl favorites lose twice in six days before stepping on the field against the Commanders. L.A. lost in overtime against Buffalo last Monday—the Rams couldn’t stop the run in that game and now move forward without two key interior defenders. And that was followed by the Rams’ offense being shut down against a Cardinals squad that had entered Sunday allowing at least 31 points in four consecutive games.

Perhaps the only thing that didn’t go in favor of the 49ers inside the division was that win for Arizona. There’s now a tight race for second place, with Seattle leading the two 2–4 squads by a game. The mighty NFC West was supposed to be the best division in football … now the 49ers have it practically wrapped up with a three-game advantage 12 days before Halloween.  

I’m sure someone out there is screaming about all the injuries for the 49ers. Yes, it’s not good that receiver Mike Evans is dealing with an Achilles injury. He was unable to finish the game against Washington and his exit played a role in the 49ers forgetting how to get a first down in the second half. Evans is the reason why this year might finally be different for coach Kyle Shanahan’s team. They need him to win the Super Bowl and end the championship drought that dates back to 1994. 

But here’s another perk for being 6–0: The 49ers can afford to have Evans sit and make sure he’s fully ready for the stretch run. Also, San Francisco has a few more Washington-like teams coming up on the schedule, facing the Falcons, Raiders and Cowboys in the next three games, then a bye in Week 8. The 49ers’ next tough matchup might be on Nov. 22 against the 5–0 Vikings in Mexico City. Granted, counting wins before games isn’t ideal after what transpired on Monday night, but at least on paper, things look favorable.

The injury-ravaged Rams don’t have the same advantage with their losing record. They now run the risk of rushing back star edge rusher Myles Garrett, who is on injured reserve with a knee injury, because they desperately need him to get back on track. The Rams already rushed Garrett back onto the field once after having him play against the 49ers in the season opener in Australia despite him missing the bulk of training camp with a lower leg injury. 

When the 49ers were getting hit with injuries in the summer, there were deep dives about how the team should consider moving its entire operation away from the electrical substation it currently practices next to. Meanwhile, no one seemed to care that Garrett wasn’t practicing with his new team and articles were being written about the Rams possibly going undefeated. 

The benefits from all the offseason additions were noticeable in that first game against the Rams. Evans was a difference-maker and new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris had outcoached McVay. San Francisco has had quality defensive coordinators before, including two stints from Robert Saleh, but Morris seems to have untapped another level for this defense, even without Nick Bosa, who hasn’t played since Week 2. 

Maybe Bosa should keep resting because Fred Warner is available to man the ship and offseason addition Osa Odighizuwa continues to push the pocket. San Francisco held Washington to 314 total yards and only 53 on the ground. 

As long as Warner, Purdy, George Kittle, Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey are around, the 49ers should have no problem clinching the NFC West. And if injuries continue to occur, well, that didn’t stop last year and yet San Francisco found a way to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. 

Again, injuries continue to give the 49ers bad news. But all the winning and setbacks from the divisional rivals has them in a favorable position. Now, it’s about San Francisco continuing to handle its business to gain more perks before January rolls around.