49ers pad record against an awful division

Leaning on their top-ranked defense, the 49ers (10-4) have one of the league's best records.

Half their wins, however, have come against the underperforming NFC West. The Rams and Cardinals, both 4-10, own two of the five worst records in the NFL, and the Seahawks have dropped four of their past five after a surprising 6-3 start.

The NFC West isn't as bad as the NFC South or AFC South, but it's as soft as a month-old pear. The 49ers average margin of victory in their five division wins is 17.6 points.

The 49ers strength of schedule ranks 26th, according to ESPN.

The NFC West was expected to be one of the league's strongest divisions, with NFL.com columnist Jeffri Chadiha ranking it as the second-toughest division before the season. The defending Super Bowl champion Rams were expected to be tested by the Trey Lance-led 49ers and Kyler Murray's Cardinals.

Fifteen weeks later, all three teams are starting reserve quarterbacks because of injuries to starters. But unlike the Rams and Cardinals, the 49ers have overcome the injury bug, with backups Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy impressing in the absence of Lance.

San Francisco's 5-0 division record is laudable. Only the Kansas City Chiefs are undefeated against division foes this season. The 49ers need a Week 18 win versus Arizona for their first unblemished division record since 1997.

The 49ers avenged last season's loss in the NFC Championship Game with two routs of the Rams, who had Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald in both games.

San Francisco's latest division win, a 21-13 victory over the Seahawks on Thursday, was its second in the past 12 seasons against Seattle. 

Matchups against the league's elite have been infrequent in 2022, but the 49ers have held their own when presented with the challenge. San Francisco is 3-1 versus teams in the playoff picture, including double-digit wins against the Dolphins and Buccaneers.

San Francisco has a middling 4-3 road record and sixth-easiest remaining strength of schedule. That could be cause for concern with the playoffs looming.