After Week 9 the 49ers were facing rock bottom and on the brink of their season ending prematurely. Now consecutive wins have them back to .500 and sitting in the thick of the playoff race with a huge game up against the Vikings in Week 12.
While the 49ers are still on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, they’re very much in the hunt. Here’s the NFC playoff picture after Week 11 action:
1. Cardinals (9-2)
2. Packers (8-3)
3. Buccaneers (7-3)
4. Cowboys (7-3)
5. Rams (7-3)
6. Vikings (5-5)
7. Saints (5-5)
8. 49ers (5-5)
9. Eagles (5-6)
10. Panthers (5-6)
San Francisco faces Minnesota on Sunday with a chance to climb as high as the No. 6 seed with full control over their own destiny the rest of the way.
In another interesting wrinkle, the Rams are on a two-game losing skid, coming off their bye and visiting the Packers. A loss for Los Angeles and a win for San Francisco would leave the 49ers just a game out of the No. 5 seed behind a team they beat 31-10 in Week 10.
The playoff race seemed far off for the 49ers not long ago, but now they’ve regained an identity that put them back in the hunt with an opportunity to make real noise in an increasingly crowded NFC.
