Despite the missed opportunity to gain ground, the 49ers improved to 10-4 and remain firmly in the playoff hunt with three games left on the schedule. San Francisco will travel to face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16 before closing the regular season with home games against the Chicago Bears and the Seahawks.

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.

San Francisco gets to No. 6 no matter how this game finishes. The 49ers would move ahead of the 8-4-1 Packers if Chicago wins. They'd jump over the No. 7 seed 9-4 Bears to No. 6 if Green Bay wins. A loss from one of the Seahawks or Rams would push the 49ers up to No. 5, ahead of the NFC West team that lost and ahead of the loser of Packers-Bears.

The 49ers sit 10-4 as NFC playoff battles heat up. Injuries and tough matchups for rivals set the stage for a dramatic finish to the season.

Are we sure Aaron Rodgers is off limits? Are we sure the 49ers can't trade for him this offsesaon? Let's say the Packers lose big to the Buccaneers this weekend, which could happen. The Bucs beat the Pack 38-10 in October. So let's say that happens again.

Kyle Shanahan addressed the report that 49ers' defensive coordinator Robert Saleh turned down an eye-opening offer from the Raiders.

Well, it means Lions fans should be rooting for the Packers to sweep the Bears and beat them again in two weeks to bolster their playoff odds.

The San Francisco 49ers are once again on the hunt for a kicker after Eddy Pineiro injured his hamstring in Week 11.

Mike Florio and Chris Simms reflect on the Denver Broncos win against the Green Bay Packers, as Denver continues their win streak and secures their spot in the AFC playoffs.