Updated NFC Playoff picture after Rams put 49ers playoff chances on life support

If you missed last night's Thursday Night Football showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, congratulations. If you watched the game and already forgot about it because of how brutal it was to watch, also congraulations.

Los Angeles reluctantly won the game, 12-6, in a game that featured 18 points and 13 punts. But no matter how agonizing the game was to watch, it still held pretty big ramifications in the NFC Playoff picture. With a win, the Rams improved to 8-6, putting them on the edge of the NFC Playoff race.

At the moment, LA is still on the outside looking in, but is just a half-game behind Washington for the final Wild Card spot. Los Angeles is also just a half game behind Seattle for the lead in the NFC West, and finish the season against Seattle on January 5th — there's a chance that game is a winner-take-all in the division.

NFC West Playoff Picture: Seattle and Washington see Los Angeles in the rearview

Here is the current playoff picture in the NFC. Detroit and Philadelphia have clinched playoff spots, and the Vikings have a pretty good hold on one of the Wild Card spots, but other than that... this race is wide open.

A * indicates the team has clinched a playoff spot

And here are teams on the outside looking into the playoff picture right now. As you can see, the San Francisco 49ers are at the bottom of the list of teams still "in the hunt,"... they technically are still in the hunt, but the hunt has gone on for months now and everyone is on the verge of starvation.

Teams "in the hunt" in the NFC

San Francisco has no clear path to the playoffs

At 6-8, the Niners chances at a playoff berth have dropped to below 1 percent, according to NFL.com. Jumping four teams for that last Wild Card spot is a pipe dream at this point, but winning the divison also seems like a pipe dream, even though San Francisco would be just two games back in the division if Seattle falls to the Vikings this Sunday.

What went wrong for the 49ers? Well, all their best skill players being hurt didn't help much. Christian McCaffrey missing most of the season might have been the biggest blow. Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo have done admirable jobs filling in for the star running back, but replicating his workhorse production is pretty much impossible. Brandon Aiyuk playing just 7 games hurt as well, especially coming off a career-best 1342 yards in 2023.

Seattle and Los Angeles are pulling away in NFC West

The NFC West was a rockfight a few weeks ago, with no teams being able to separate from the pack. But with Los Angeles' win on Thursday and the Seahawks rattling off four wins in a row, the Cardinals and the 49ers have fallen a few games behind, and the panic alarm is on high.

Both Seattle and LA could feasibly make the playoffs; Rams fans just need to cheer against Jayden Daniels and the Commanders the rest of the season which doesn't actually sound that fun because of how cool Jayden Daniels is.

The NFC North is a gauntlet

Imagine telling a Vikings fan that in Week 14 their team would be 11-2, winners of six straight games... and they're more than likely going to be a Wild Card team.

Would they believe you? About any of that? Probably not. But that's the situation Minnesota finds itself in heading into a monster game with the Seahawks this weekend. With a loss already to the Lions, the Vikings may have to settle for a Wild Card spot — which they'll be fine with, considering how low the expectations were for this team before the season.

Green Bay has almost been an afterthought in this division despite the Packers being a legitamate contender in their own right. Jordan Love has been lighting it up recently, making this Packers team potentially the best third-place team in a division we've seen in a while,

The Chicago Bears also exist. Best of luck to them, whatever's going on over there.