All 49ers

How the 49ers are surprisingly surviving the NFL's best division

This has been shocking.
Parker Hurley|
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San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are 9-4 and yet sit in third place in their division. They know as well as anyone that their division is the toughest in football this year. However, now the stats are clear and back it up.

The NFC West just narrowly beats out the NFC North as the division with the best non-division winning percentage. 

San Francisco 49ers are in the toughest division in football 

So, while the teams in the NFC West are beating up on each other for their losses, it is the teams across the league losing to them. To be fair, the NFC North is right there with them. The Green Bay Packers have a tie, and they appear to have a few more division games to be settled down the stretch compared to the NFC West, but these divisions stand out as the best in football. 

It is interesting because both teams have one bottom dweller, but while Minnesota has five wins and Arizona has three, two of Minnesota’s came in the division, while Arizona is 0-5 against the NFC West. So, both contribute just three wins to the non-division record. 

The Seattle Seahawks are 8-1 against non-division foes, and so are the Chicago Bears. These are the up-and-coming teams, but they still have significant division losses, showing they may not be there yet. 

San Francisco 49er
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The Los Angeles Rams are 7-2 out of the division, and so are the Detroit Lions. The difference is that Detroit is 1-3 in the division, while the Rams are 3-1 against their rivals. 

Lastly, the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers have five wins and three losses outside of the division. Of course, Green Bay also has its tie. Still, these two teams are leaning more on their strong in-division records to keep them higher in the standings. 

With Miami ascending and Buffalo and New England as the class of the AFC, it is not a surprise that they are the third-best division. The AFC West, with the Chargers, Broncos, and Chiefs, also has a quality non-division record. 

The talk all off-season was that the 49ers play the worst division in football, but the NFC and the AFC South are ahead of the AFC North and NFC East in the standings. Before the year, you would have thought that the Ravens and Bengals would be much tougher than the Jaguars and Colts, but the records say differently.

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Parker Hurley
PARKER HURLEY

Parker Hurley is a Pittsburgh native and IUP alumni with a deep-rooted passion for football and a decade of experience analyzing the game. Since 2016, he had extensively covered the Chicago Bears, serving as the site manager for Bear Goggles On from 2017 to 2023. During that time, Parker published hundreds of articles per month and led content strategy across written, audio, and video formats. Parker has also produced podcasts, blogs, and YouTube content focused on the Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL betting trends, and league-wide analysis. His work blends film breakdowns, statistical insight, and timely news reaction to deliver clear, actionable content for fans and bettors alike. Now, Parker contributes NFL coverage across multiple platforms, expanding his scope to include teams like the San Francisco 49ers and broader NFL narratives. Whether he’s analyzing rookie development or evaluating playoff contenders, Parker’s top priority is helping readers understand the game on a deeper level. He brings passion, clarity, and consistency to everything he writes, always aiming to educate, engage, and elevate the football conversation.

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