The Niners simply have to take advantage of their upcoming schedule.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan | Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages
After starting the 2025 campaign with three consecutive victories over the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers have traded wins and losses over the past seven weeks and now sit at 6-4 following their [embarrassing Week 10 defeat](https://ninernoise.com/leave-george-kittle-stay-optimistic-49ers-brutal-loss-rams) to the Los Angeles Rams.
Now, given the absurd amount of injuries the Niners have been forced to suffer through, having six wins at this point is undoubtedly commendable. That said, however, those six wins [wouldn't be good enough](https://ninernoise.com/updated-nfc-playoff-picture-poses-new-problem-for-49ers-after-loss-rams) to get San Francisco into the postseason if it started today, as the Niners are currently on the outside looking in, as they hold the No. 8 slot in the overall NFC standings.
But even with _that_ said, things could certainly be worse.
Even with their third-place standing in the NFC West, the 49ers aren't that far behind the Seahawks and Rams, who are tied atop the division at 7-2, which will change this Sunday, as those two teams will square off for the first time. San Francisco owning the best record within the division at 3-1 is also helpful, as that tiebreaker could undoubtedly come into play down the line.
And as far as the Wild Card situation goes, the Niners are mere percentage points behind the Green Bay Packers, who hold the No. 7 slot at 5-3-1.
So, again, while things could obviously be better, they could also be far worse.
Simply put, San Francisco simply has to string together some wins down the stretch to stay competitive in the playoff picture. And the schedule sets up nicely for that to happen.
Here's a quick look at the 49ers' remaining slate, with each opponent's current record listed as well.
* Week 11: at Arizona Cardinals (3-6)
* Week 12: vs. Carolina Panthers (5-5)
* Week 13: at Cleveland Browns (2-7)
* Week 14: Bye
* Week 15: vs. Tennessee Titans (1-8)
* Week 16: at Indianapolis Colts (8-2)
* Week 17: vs. Chicago Bears (6-3)
* Week 18: vs. Seattle Seahawks (7-2)
Remaining strength of schedule for all 32 NFL teams heading into Week 11
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Now, let's have a look at where San Francisco ranks among all 32 teams in regard to remaining strength of schedule.
**Rank**
**Team**
**Remaining Games**
**Opp. Win Pct.**
1
Carolina Panthers
7
.569
T2
Indianapolis Colts
7
.562
T2
Arizona Cardinals
8
.562
T2
Chicago Bears
8
.562
T5
Detroit Lions
8
.548
T5
Los Angeles Rams
8
.547
7
Seattle Seahawks
8
.547
8
Kansas City Chiefs
8
.546
9
Green Bay Packers
8
.541
10
Los Angeles Chargers
7
.539
11
Houston Texans
8
.533
12
Washington Commanders
7
.523
13
Minnesota Vikings
8
.520
T14
Las Vegas Raiders
8
.513
T14
New York Jets
8
.513
16
Buffalo Bills
8
.507
T17
Jacksonville Jaguars
8
.500
T17
Denver Broncos
7
.500
T19
New York Giants
7
.492
T19
San Francisco 49ers
7
.492
21
Philadelphia Eagles
8
.487
22
Tennessee Titans
8
.486
23
Dallas Cowboys
8
.480
24
Cincinnati Bengals
8
.473
25
Pittsburgh Steelers
8
.466
26
Baltimore Ravens
8
.459
27
Atlanta Falcons
8
.453
28
Cleveland Browns
8
.452
29
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8
.447
30
Miami Dolphins
7
.439
31
New Orleans Saints
7
.354
32
New England Patriots
7
.338
As you can see, the 49ers don't have the easiest remaining schedule, but they certainly don't have anywhere close to the toughest. Things get a bit more challenging down the stretch, but from now until its Week 16 matchup with the Colts, San Francisco doesn't have a single game against a team that's currently over .500.
Yes, the bye week is in there, but you get the point.
First up, of course, is this Sunday's showdown with the Cardinals, whom the Niners squeaked past in Week 3 by a score of 16-15. Arizona will look different than it did then, as Jacoby Brissett will be under center, as Kyler Murray was recently placed on injured reserve with a foot injury. The Cards will also be without the services of Marvin Harrison Jr., who will sit out due to appendicitis, thus leaving the team very shorthanded at the wide receiver position, which obviously works in San Francisco's favor.
From a technical standpoint, the 49ers' toughest matchup in this four-game stretch comes in Week 12 on _Monday Night Football_ against the Carolina Panthers, who sit at 5-5. But it's hard to know what to make of that team. One week, they're taking down the Green Bay Packers. And the next week, that being this past Sunday, they're losing to the New Orleans Saints. So, that could be interesting.
Then, the Niners go into a three-week stretch in which they've got the two-win Cleveland Browns, their bye, and the one-win Tennessee Titans. Any team can win on any given day, of course, but these are victories San Francisco has to have.
From there, the 49ers visit the Indianapolis Colts, who are currently tied for the best record in the NFL at 8-2. So, that'll obviously be a challenge.
Then comes what could be a crucial Week 17 matchup with the Chicago Bears, who currently reside in the No. 6 slot in the NFC standings at 6-3. What's interesting about the Bears, however, is that none of those six wins have come against teams with a winning record. When your biggest win thus far is against the Dallas Cowboys, who are 3-5-1, that says something.
And then, of course, comes the regular-season finale against the Seahawks, which could very well determine the division depending on how things play out up to that point.
The 49ers are set up to succeed, but we now just have to wait and see if they can take advantage.