The NFL gets the full slate of Week 9 games going in a few hours, and the San Francisco 49ers have a few things to watch for over the rest of the day. The 49ers sit at 0-8, and at this point, it’s all about draft position. The Cleveland Browns are on their bye week, but there are still plenty of games to consider.
The 49ers will be looking for some teams to win to give them breathing room at the top of the draft order. Additionally, the 49ers will be looking for teams they or Cleveland played to win or lose to impact strength of schedule. The first tiebreaker in draft order is SOS, with the weaker SOS getting the better pick. The second tiebreaker is a coin flip.
Heading into Week 9, the Browns SOS was .504, and the 49ers was .534. The New York Jets win over the Buffalo Bills bumped the Browns to .508 because the Browns face them this year. We want teams the Browns face to win, and teams the 49ers face to lose, in order to bring the SOS closer together. With that in mind, here is the Week 9 schedule and our rooting guide based on how it impacts draft order.
Ravens (4-4) @ Titans (4-3): Ravens - The Browns play Baltimore twice and Tennessee once, while the 49ers face Tennessee later this year. A Ravens win strengthens the Browns SOS slightly, and weakens the 49ers SOS.
Buccaneers (2-5) @ Saints (5-2): Bucs - Neither impacts SOS, so we are rooting for the two-win team to win.
Rams (5-2) @ Giants (1-6): Giants - This will bump back the only one-win team behind the 49ers and Browns. Additionally, the 49ers face LA twice and New York once, so a Rams loss slightly weakens San Francisco’s SOS.
Broncos (3-4) @ Eagles (7-1): Broncos - The 49ers faced the Eagles already, so we want an Eagles loss for SOS purposes. Cleveland plays neither team.
Falcons (4-3) @ Panthers (5-3): Falcons - The 49ers faced the Panthers already, so we want an Panthers loss for SOS purposes. Cleveland plays neither team.
Bengals (3-4) @ Jaguars (4-3): Bengals - The Browns play Cincinnati twice and Jacksonville once, while the 49ers face Jacksonville later this year. A Bengals win strengthens the Browns SOS slightly, and weakens the 49ers SOS.
Colts (2-6) @ Texans (3-4): Colts - The 49ers and Browns each play these two teams once apiece, so SOS is not impacted. Thus, we root for the worse team to give them another win.
Washington (3-4) @ Seahawks (5-2): Washington - The 49ers face Seattle twice and Washington once, so a Washington win weakens the 49ers SOS a little bit. Cleveland faces neither team.
Chiefs (6-2) @ Cowboys (5-2): Chiefs - The 49ers faced the Cowboys already, so we want a Cowboys loss for SOS purposes. Cleveland plays neither team.
Raiders (3-5) @ Dolphins (4-3): Raiders - Neither impacts SOS, so we are rooting for the three-win team to win.
Lions (3-4) @ Packers (4-3): Lions - The Browns face each once, the 49ers face neither. Either can win, so we’ll root for the three-win team.