The San Francisco 49ers have plenty of work to do on their own today and through the rest of the season before they can get to excited about possible playoff positioning. Nonetheless, for us fans it can be fun considering all the possibilities as we do some scoreboard watching each week.
This week is no different as the 49ers can further close out the NFC West, set up a possible Week 12 clinching scenario, and gain some ground in the race for a first round bye. The New Orleans Saints are on a bye this week, so if the 49ers defeat the Arizona Cardinals, they would move to two full games up on New Orleans. Just gotta take care of business today! Here are the three games with some measure of significance for the 49ers playoff positioning:
Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams: If the Rams beat the Seahawks and the 49ers beat the Cardinals, the 49ers will be in position to clinch the NFC West with a win over Baltimore in week 12. That's a tall order, but it is worth noting today.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Green Bay Packers: I see no reason to think the Packers will lose anytime soon, but each week the 49ers can hope for a Packers loss. I don't see it happening this week, but you never know.
Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants: The Giants chances of passing the 49ers in the chase for a first round bye are pretty slim given the 49ers head-to-head victory. I think they are going to put a hurting on the Eagles, particularly if Vince Young is starting the game.