The 49ers could’ve gotten help from the Steelers and Cardinals in their quest to repeat as NFC West champions, but only Pittsburgh came through.
At SoFi Stadium the Steelers, backed by a huge number of their own fans, knocked off the Rams 24-17 to give the 49ers some additional breathing room from their Southern California rivals.
In the Pacific Northwest the 49ers couldn’t get any help from the basement-dwelling Cardinals. They fell to the Seahawks 20-10 after taking a 10-7 lead in the middle of the second quarter.
Here’s what the NFC West standings look like heading into Monday Night Football where the 49ers will face off against the Vikings:
1. 49ers (5-1)
2. Seahawks (4-2)
3. Rams (3-4)
4. Cardinals (1-6)
A win in Week 7 isn’t necessarily vital for the division since they’d still be a half game up on Seattle with a loss, but staying as clear as possible of the rest of the division just opens up some wiggle room as the season progresses.
The good news is the Cardinals are way out of it now and the Rams are 2.5 games behind the 49ers with San Francisco also holding the tiebreaker.
It appears coming out of Week 7 the NFC West will be a two-team race.