NFC playoff picture following 49ers’ Week 13 loss to Bills

The San Francisco 49ers' loss on Monday night to the Buffalo Bills was costly and dropped the team down the NFC playoff standings. Yes, help will be needed if the team hopes to continue playing football past Week 17. First, the 49ers have to take care of their remaining opponents, and running the table will probably be necessary.

"We've got four games left," offensive tackle Trent Williams told reporters after the game. "It's the last quarter of the year. We understand that the focus has to be heightened, that we don't really have a lot of wiggle room. We kind of control our own destiny, but we still need some guys to fall short. We only can control what we can control. Our next focus is on Washington, and we've got to get a win."

Here is the playoff picture in the NFC after 13 weeks of NFL play. The 49ers squandered an opportunity to be in a three-way tie for the final wild-card spot and must now rely on some other teams falling apart down the stretch.

Current NFC Playoff Standings (Division leaders italicized)

1. New Orleans Saints, 10-2
2. Green Bay Packers, 9-3
3. Los Angeles Rams, 8-4
4. New York Giants, 5-7
5. Seattle Seahawks, 8-4
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7-5
7. Minnesota Vikings, 6-6
8. Arizona Cardinals, 6-6
9. Chicago Bears, 5-7
10. Detroit Lions, 5-7
11. San Francisco 49ers, 5-7
12. Washington Redskins, 5-7