With nine weeks of NFL action in the books, 25 NFL.com contributors released their updated playoff predictions, projecting the winners of each division. The NFC West remains one of the league's most competitive, and the San Francisco 49ers face a critical Week 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium.

The 49ers, Rams, and Seattle Seahawks each enter the weekend with six wins, making Sunday's clash pivotal for head coach Kyle Shanahan and his team as they aim to strengthen their playoff position and climb the divisional standings.


Only one NFL.com expert—digital content editor Grant Gordon—picked the 49ers to win the NFC West and open their postseason at home.

Fifteen contributors predicted the Rams, who enter Week 10 as four-point favorites over the 49ers, to claim the division crown. Nine others chose the Seattle Seahawks.

As for Wild Card projections, three experts have the 49ers making the playoffs as the sixth seed, while 13 expect them to earn the seventh seed. The Seahawks garnered the most Wild Card support, with 12 picking them to land the fifth seed, three for the sixth, and one (again, Gordon) for the seventh. Meanwhile, nine contributors slotted the Rams as the fifth seed, and one placed them sixth.

Gordon, the lone expert who voted for the 49ers to win the NFC West, has the Rams as the fifth seed, and the Seahawks as the seventh, meaning he expects all three NFC West teams to make the postseason.

It won't be an easy road for the 49ers, who have battled through a wave of injuries this season. Still, they've continued to persevere, holding a 6-3 record heading into their matchup with the 6-2 Rams.


Surprisingly, San Francisco chose to stand pat at the trade deadline, opting to trust its current roster to make a strong push toward a playoff run.

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