San Francisco 49ers: Week 9 Rooting Guide and Predictions

With the 2014 schedule about to hit the midway point for all teams in the NFC West, the San Francisco 49ers still find themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in. 

If the playoffs started today, the 49ers would find themselves in the seventh seed in the NFC.  They’re ahead of the Seattle Seahawks thanks to a superior division record, but a half-game behind the Green Bay Packers for a wild-card spot.  They’re two full games behind the Arizona Cardinals for the division title and need to play better in the second half of the season.

On the other hand, they’re still in control of their own destiny—win out, and the 49ers will make the playoffs no matter what happens, at least as a wild-card team.  With tiebreakers over the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, the 49ers are in a decent position. Now they just have to put together the necessary wins to actually get into position to use those tiebreakers.

By those standards, this week’s game against the St. Louis Rams is a must-win game.  Even one loss could be enough to keep the 49ers out of the playoffs entirely, while a win would move the 49ers back into playoff position.

In reality, of course, it’s highly unlikely any one loss will cripple the 49ers at this point.  To miss the playoffs at 12-4 would require an extremely unlikely series of results from the rest of the teams around the league.  The 49ers will need some of these other teams to come back to the pack, but that’s more likely than not to happen.

With that in mind, let’s take a quick swing around the NFC and see which teams the 49ers should be rooting for, and which results will help the 49ers’ cause the most.  In some cases—like an AFC team playing an NFC team, the results are obvious.  In others—like a wild-card contender playing a divisional rival—it might be harder to determine. 

We’ll do our best to cut through the confusion of the playoff race and make the 49ers’ rooting interests clearer.

All odds provided by OddsShark, all times Eastern.  Games listed in order of importance to San Francisco.

St. Louis Rams (2-5) at San Francisco 49ers (4-3)

Scott Kane/Associated Press

4:05 p.m. Eastern, Sunday on Fox
Line: San Francisco -10
Root for: San Francisco

If you're a 49er fan and need help deciding whom to root for in this game, you may be overthinking playoff scenarios.

The 49ers are double-digit favorites in this one, and shouldn’t have too many issues defeating St. Louis, considering they beat this same team on the road less than a month ago.  The rematch, at home, after a bye, might be their easiest game on the entire schedule.

In that case, of course, a slip up and a loss would be devastating.  It’s not so much just the loss, but if the 49ers can’t put away a team like St. Louis at home, what hope do they have of beating the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals or San Diego Chargers?  A playoff-bound 49ers team is going to have to win at least one of those games, and it’s hard to imagine a team doing that and slipping up against the Rams. 

A loss, in other words, hurts much more than a win would help.

The Rams have proven to be feisty as well—they took down the Seahawks two weeks ago, remember.  They also had a lead against the 49ers in the first half of their first game, before the 49ers clamped down and came out an impressive win.

Of course, a couple things have changed since the last matchup.  At 1-3, the Rams could have dreamed of turning their season around and making the playoffs; at 2-5, they know they’re all but mathematically out.  The health situation has turned around, too—the 49ers will have Anthony Davis back for this matchup, while the Rams will be missing offensive tackle Jake Long and receiver Brian Quick, both of whom are out for the remainder of the season with injuries.

The Rams also have 10 players listed as questionable, and while some will no doubt suit up, they’re going to be depleted.

Since 2011, teams that have been 10-point or greater favorites are 96-12-1.  I find it hard to believe the 49ers will buck that trend.

Prediction: San Francisco 27, St. Louis 13

Arizona Cardinals (6-1) at Dallas Cowboys (6-2)

Norm Hall/Getty Images

1:00 p.m. Eastern, Sunday on Fox
Line: Dallas -4
Root for: Dallas

This is the most intriguing matchup for 49ers fans in Week 9.

Do you root for the Dallas Cowboys—a team that has been the cause of many a heartbreak in San Francisco history?  A Dallas would cut into the Cardinals’ lead in the division.  It wouldn’t be enough to give the 49ers control of their own destiny in the division yet—Arizona has yet to lose in the NFC West—but it would give a key win to a potential wildcard rival.

Rooting for the Arizona Cardinals, on the other hand, would help the 49ers take a key step forward in the wild-card race, but push the division race even further down the line.  At some point, the Cardinals have to start losing if anyone in the NFC is going to catch them.

The 49ers still have a good shot at the division, so you have to take that into account first.  Plus, Dallas’ loss on Monday night already helped; the 49ers can afford to let Dallas move a game further up in the wild-card hunt for the moment.

The Cardinals are a good team, not a great one.  They’ve yet to have a truly noteworthy game where they’ve just stepped on the throttle and not looked back—they’ve yet to enter the fourth quarter of a matchup with the outcome reasonably sewn up.  Arizona has been doing enough to win each and every week, which is the sign of a good, consistent team but not one that’s going to blow the doors off of a quality opponent, especially as its schedule gets tougher.

The Cardinals have entered a difficult patch of their schedule. After Dallas in Week 9, they have to take on the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions and then travel to play the Seattle Seahawks.  They survived their first test against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8, but I don’t see them pulling off two wins in a row against this caliber of opponent.

Unless, that is, Tony Romo’s injury limits him.  Romo missed practice on Thursday, according to ESPN.  The bone contusion he suffered against Washington on Monday saw him gimpy for the rest of the night, and a limited Romo would severely harm Dallas’ chances in this game.  Brandon Weeden is not a very good quarterback.

In the end, I think Romo toughs it out and plays well and leads Dallas to victory.  Let’s hear a half-hearted “How ‘bout them Cowboys?” chant coming out of the Bay Area.

Prediction: Dallas 28, Arizona 20

Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) at Houston Texans (4-4)

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

1:00 p.m. Eastern, Sunday on Fox
Line: Philadelphia -2
Root for: Houston

Another reason why the 49ers wouldn’t mind a Cowboys victory is the fact that San Francisco is not currently a wild-card team.  The Philadelphia Eagles hold that position, as they are a half-game behind Dallas in the NFC East.

An Eagles loss helps the 49ers in two ways.  First, if both teams happen to win their division, it would bring the Eagles down into a potential tie with the 49ers.  With the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand, the 49ers would then get the higher seed, which, considering the poor state of the NFC South, would probably mean the 49ers either getting home-field advantage or a bye week. These are both good things.

Second, if both teams fall short of the division crown, we’d have the same tiebreaker situation, only for a wild-card berth.  The 49ers want to end up tied with the Eagles or Cowboys; that’s a lot easier of a situation than the Lions or Packers, both of which would involve more complicated tiebreakers.  The 49ers have dominated the NFC East so far this season, and those tiebreakers could be golden considering how well Dallas and Philadelphia have played so far.

Could the Houston Texans actually pull off the upset over Philadelphia?  It’s very, very possible.  The Eagles are only 1-2 away from home this season, and their one win was a 30-27 squeaker over the Indianapolis Colts back in Week 2.  They’re also a bit banged up:  Nate Allen missed practice this week, while Brent Celek was limited with a back injury as well.

On the other hand, the Eagles get center Jason Kelce back, which is huge for their pass protection, and the always-dangerous Darren Sproles should play as well.  The Texans have also been struggling recently, as they’re only 1-3 in their last four games.  They run entirely through Arian Foster.  If he’s stopped, the Texans are shut down.

The Eagles are allowing 115.1 yards per game.  If the Texans can get significantly more than that—if Foster rolls well and opens up the offense—I think they can pull out the upset.  However, I’m going to have to predict a tight Eagles victory.

Prediction: Philadelphia 24, Houston 23

Seattle Seahawks (4-3) vs. Oakland Raiders (0-7)

Ben Margot/Associated Press

7:25 p.m. Eastern, Sunday on CBS
Line: Seattle -15
Root for: Oakland

A winless team with a rookie quarterback on the road in the hardest environment in football.  A team whose season is over, traveling to take on a team that needs a win badly to stay in the thick of the playoff race. 

Is there any chance that the Oakland Raiders come out on top in this one?

Well, there’s a chance.  Last year, the Seahawks fell behind 21-0 in the first half against a winless team, with a rookie quarterback, on the road, in the hardest environment in football. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers nearly pulled off a monumental upset in Seattle.  That would have altered the balance of power in the NFC last season—a loss there would have knocked the Seahawks down to 12-4, tying them with the 49ers.  The 49ers would have won the division on tiebreakers, and hosted the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.  Who knows how that would have changed history?

The Raiders also haven’t rolled over and died this year—they only lost to the New England Patriots by one score back in Week 3, and nearly knocked off the San Diego Chargers in Week 6.  They may have the worst record in football, but I don’t believe they’re the worst team.

I’d actually call the Rams worse than the Raiders...and they beat the Seahawks just two weeks ago.  Can you feel it?  Can you feel the upset coming?

Of course not, the Seahawks are going to crush them.  It was fun to dream, though, wasn’t it?

Prediction: Seattle 37, Oakland 3

New York Giants (3-4) vs. Indianapolis Colts (5-3)

AJ Mast/Associated Press

8:30 p.m. Eastern, Monday on ESPN
Line: Indianapolis -3
Root for: Indianapolis

We’re now starting to get into the real nitty-gritty of the schedule.  The previous four games definitely matter in a very significant way.  The remaining matchups are more hypothetical—just squashing long-shots in the bud, as it were.  It’s certainly not the end of the world if the Giants or Buccaneers pull off a win, because the number of scenarios where that ends up mattering are very small.

Not zero, however.  The New York Giants probably have to go 7-2, or thereabouts, to have a realistic shot of making the playoffs from their current position.  They’re certainly not dead yet, but they’re on the ropes.

Their next four weeks are a grueling gauntlet, as well.  They have the Colts, then have to travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks, then host the 49ers and then the Cowboys.  If they can come out of that relatively unscathed, they might be able to put together a late run and make something happen.

If they can somehow manage to go 3-1 against that schedule—which is mostly at home, to be fair—they’ll find themselves right in the thick of the playoff hunt.  They’d also likely have to beat the 49ers, meaning they’d have the tiebreaker over San Francisco should it come to that.

I actually like Big Blue to get off on the right foot this week.  Rested after a bye and playing at home, I like Eli Manning and company to pull off the upset on Monday Night Football.  It might be worth glancing at that out of the corner of your eye, especially if San Francisco slips up against the Rams.

Prediction: NY Giants 24, Indianapolis 23

Washington Redskins (3-5) at Minnesota Vikings (3-5)

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

1:00 p.m. Eastern, Sunday on Fox
Line: Pick ‘Em
Root for: Minnesota

Why should 49ers fans root for one 3-5 NFC team over another, especially when neither seems likely to make the playoffs?

Well, you shouldn’t strenuously root for either, but neither team is really out for the count quite yet.  Whichever team loses will be more or less eliminated from playoff contention, but a 4-5 team is still lurking, and could slide back into the race with a little luck.

So, why Minnesota over Washington?  A miracle Washington rally in the second half of the season could, in theory, make the 49ers' current tiebreakers over Dallas and Philadelphia meaningless, if the Redskins were to win the division.  The 49ers have less control over their matchups with the NFC North—and their loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 2 could factor in negatively to that tiebreaker, anyway.

In other words, there is an ever-so-slightly greater chance that Washington’s success could mess up the 49ers in a few very specific tiebreaker scenarios, while Minnesota’s success is much less likely to actually change anything.

It’s an incredibly far-fetched scenario, however, so don’t lose too much sleep over it when Washington marches into Minnesota and squeaks out a victory.  The 49ers can render that moot in their Week 12 matchup with Washington.

Prediction: Washington 21, Minnesota 20

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-6) at Cleveland Browns (4-3)

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

1:00 p.m. Eastern, Sunday on Fox
Line: Cleveland -6.5
Root for: Cleveland

If you’re sitting at home watching Cleveland and Tampa Bay, you are watching too much football.  This is the worst game of the week by a sizeable margin.

Go outside!  Get some fresh air!  Throw a football around yourselves.  Go out and see Nightcrawler or stay in and play the latest WWE video game.  Do something else rather than witness the inept Buccaneers travel to, and get blown out by, a mediocre Cleveland Browns team.

The Buccaneers aren’t technically eliminated from playoff contention yet because it’s mathematically possible that a 6-10 team could still earn a wild-card berth, and thus it helps the 49ers ever-so-slightly if they continue to lose, but seriously.  For the Buccaneers, the worst team in football, to alter the 49ers’ fortunes in any way would require such a bizarre series of events as to be almost impossible.

Root for the Browns if you must, but if this is the only game being broadcast in your area, I implore you to do something else.  Come back for the late games and watch the 49ers; leave this game to its own devices.

Prediction: Cleveland 37, Tampa Bay 3

Bryan Knowles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers.  Follow him @BryKno on twitter.