NFC West Rankings: 49ers climb to second place behind Cardinals

The NFC West has gotten weird, man. After a more even game in which the Dallas Cowboys took a 10-6 lead at the end of the first half, the San Francisco 49ers struck back. Next thing you know, they're up 17 points with 11 minutes to play.

Then the 49ers defense adjusted by deciding not to cover Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. The result was two touchdowns in which Lamb was uncovered.

Suddenly the 49ers are up six points and the fans say, “Here we go again.” Then something happened that you don’t see much of in 2024: The 49ers defense got a 4th down stop. Enter the second game-winning run of the season, where Isaac Guerendo has to go down at the goal line to win, and the 49ers are back at .500. The 49ers record is tied with the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals. That means the Cardinals are currently first in the NFC West in the tiebreaker.

The 49ers' loss to the Cardinals will linger for a while longer.

Arizona Cardinals (4-4)

After taking on the Miami Dolphins and pulling out a last-minute win, the Cardinals are now tied with the 49ers and Seahawks.

The Dolphins went up by 10 points early in the game, but the Cardinals kept the Dolphins from running away.

The result was a game in which the Cardinals played from behind for all of two seconds. The game was tied at 20-10 in the third quarter until a botched shotgun call rolled Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa into the end zone for a safety – and out again.

That was the turning point, but its effects were not immediately visible. The Cardinals got closer and closer to the lead until they kicked a field goal in the final minutes with time running out to win the game by a point. The Cardinals move to 4-4 and are now in first place in the division.

That makes the 49ers' loss to the Cardinals all the more devastating. If the 49ers had won there, they would have had sole control of the division.

To make matters worse, the Cardinals have some easy games coming up: the Chicago Bears, the New York Jets and then the Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle Seahawks (4-4)

Remember when the Seahawks led the division? A 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Seattle will quickly make you forget all of that. The Seahawks looked poor in all aspects of the game, and the team itself also appears to be eroding:

Yes, you don't want the team to fight among themselves. Things don't get much better for Seattle. They have a hot Rams squad ahead of them: the 49ers and then the Cardinals. Their divisional future could be very well defined in the next three weeks.

Los Angeles Rams (3-4)

If you pay attention to the seedings, you're hoping the Rams can beat the Minnesota Vikings. If you want more cushion for the division, look no further than the Vikings.

The game took them back and forth all evening until, in the 4th quarter, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold turned his facemask to the side in the end zone. It wasn't considered a face mask, just a quarterback sack – and a safety. That was enough to give the Rams the game.

Would the Vikings have won? Who knows – and that’s the point. We won't know because it was ruined by the incumbent crew. It's a stretch to say that a 15-yard penalty would have given them the win. Regardless, this no-call will likely find its way into the annual debate with the Competition Committee regarding personal fouls. Hopefully something will be done about it because this is unforgivable.

On a lighter note, I doubt Cooper Kupp will be back on the trading floor after this night.

On week 9

The 49ers have a much-needed bye coming up, so they can watch everyone else compete. But bye.

The Cardinals host the Chicago Bears. The Bears made headlines over the weekend with a tough loss to the Washington Commanders. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels completed a Hail Mary that Bears fans probably remember as being played regularly by Aaron Rodgers when they faced the Green Bay Packers.

The Seahawks and Rams will start in Seattle. This game will be difficult to watch as 49ers fans don't want either team to win.

1st: Arizona Cardinals; Next: vs. CHicago Bears

2nd: San Francisco 49ers; Next up: Bye

3rd: Seattle Seahawks; Next: vs. Los Angeles Rams

4th: Los Angeles Rams; Next up: the Seattle Seahawks