Every Tuesday or Wednesday following a San Francisco 49ers victory, their official pizza partner, Mountain Mikes, offers up a lucrative special on a large pizza that’s worthwhile (seriously, go look it up).
After Week 14, though, my family and I won’t be able to take advantage of the deal because the Niners are on the bye week.
Bummer.
Of course, no one is picking San Francisco to win on a week when it’s inactive, but that won’t stop the fact Week 14 is going to determine a massive amount regarding the NFC’s playoff picture.
As pointed out by CBS Sports’ Douglas Clawson, “This is the latest point in any season in NFL history where five divisions are separated by a game or less.”
The NFC West is no different with the 9-4 Niners sitting in third place behind the 9-3 Los Angeles Rams and 9-3 Seattle Seahawks, who just so happen to play each other in Week 16. San Francisco holds current tiebreakers over both squads, thanks either to head-to-head records or (in LA’s case) a better division record. But, because of one more game in the loss column, the 49ers trail a spot to both teams.
It’s wild, though, how the Niners hold the No. 7 seed and final Wild Card spot in the conference, currently, yet the top-seeded Chicago Bears, too, have nine wins.
That potentially changes this weekend, though, when Chicago squares off with the 8-3-1 Green Bay Packers, who are currently the No. 6 seed, meaning San Francisco will gain ground regardless in Week 14 despite not having to take the field.
Still, Clawson didn’t pick the 49ers to win the NFC West outright despite being oh-so close in the standings. His prediction favors Los Angeles, which has a relatively easy finish to its regular-season schedule aside from that Week 16 bout versus the Hawks.
Yet the Niners remain in excellent position to claim a Wild Card berth, which will be made that much easier, thanks to some crucial Week 14 outcomes that’ll benefit San Francisco in one way or another.