The San Francisco 49ers notched a huge victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night to improve to 4-1 on the season and grab first place in the NFC West for now.
Divisional wins are always crucial, but this one meant just a bit more considering how short-handed the 49ers were on offense.
San Francisco didn't have quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, all of whom were out because of injury.
Backup quarterback Mac Jones rose to the occasion once again, as he has done in his other two starts this season in place of the injured Purdy, and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne stepped up in a big way, also.
As the 49ers enjoy a 10-day break until their Week 6 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Kyle Shanahan's team is locked into the first place spot through Week 5 no matter what goes on with the rest of the teams in the division.
NFC West standings
1. San Francisco 49ers: 4-1 (3-0 in NFC West)
2. Seattle Seahawks: 3-1 (1-1)
3. Los Angeles Rams: 3-2 (0-1)
4. Arizona Cardinals: 2-2 (0-2)
The first tie-breaker in a division is head-to-head record, and the second is division record. The Niners have the advantage over the Seahawks in both categories, so Seattle can't pass San Fran with a win on Sunday.
The Seahawks will host the Buccaneers on Sunday in what will be a tough game. Meanwhile, the Cardinals draw the a gimme game against the Tennessee Titans.
As we already noted, the Niners draw the Bucs on the road next week, while the Rams will host the Baltimore Ravens at SoFi Stadium.
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