After two stunning defeats in a row, the San Francisco 49ers bounced back in a big way, defeating the Chicago Bears 38-13 on Sunday, improving to 6-7 and keeping their playoff hopes alive.

It was a tough blow from the start for San Francisco, as they scored a touchdown on their first drive and didn’t let up. At halftime, they led the Bears 24-0 while outscoring them 319-4 in total yards.

So what are the 49ers’ playoff odds after Sunday’s win over the Bears?

San Francisco’s playoff chances have increased significantly in recent weeks. When they were 5-5, they had the second-best odds of winning the division at +270. But after two straight losses to the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills, those odds of winning the division dropped to +1400.

Well, the 49ers remain two games behind the division-leading Seattle Seahawks after they defeated the Arizona Cardinals this week. But things are always in flux in the NFC West. Heading into the week, the Seahawks and Cardinals had nearly equal odds to win the division, while the Rams were slightly behind both at +290 odds.

Now looking at the division, the Seahawks are 8-5. The Rams are one game behind at 7-6, while the Cardinals are two games behind at 6-7. That’s not great for the 49ers, as they’ve already played the Seahawks twice but still have games against Los Angeles and Arizona, so they’ll need some help from their division rivals to regain control of the division.

The good news? Seattle has one of the toughest remaining schedules and still faces the Packers, Vikings and Rams in the final four weeks of the season.

Could the 49ers secure a wild card spot? That seems far-fetched at first, but it could be a similar possibility for the 49ers to winning the division, even though they are also two games behind the Washington Commanders, who are currently No. 7 in the conference.

The Commanders appear to hold the only spot that could potentially change from the three wild cards, facing the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys.

Still, the 49ers will need major help over the final four weeks if they want to make a miraculous playoff run in 2024. However, Sunday showed some hope that they could be the team many had imagined with a 38-13 loss to the Chicago Bears, who have now lost seven games in a row.

Next week, San Francisco faces one of its division rivals as they take on the Los Angeles Rams at home in what could be an important game in the NFC West standings. The 49ers are currently the favorite in this game by 2.5 points, with the over/under at 48.5 points.

Can the 49ers start a run and gain some momentum toward the end of the year?

NFC rankings ahead of Week 15

1. Detroit Lions (12-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (11-2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (8-5)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)
5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (9-4)
7. Washington Commanders (8-5)
8. Los Angeles Rams (7-6)
9. Atlanta Falcons (6-3 NFC)
10. Arizona Cardinals (6-7, win over SF)
11. San Francisco 49ers (6-7)
12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7, playing CIN on Monday Night Football)
13. New Orleans Saints (5-8)
14. Chicago Bears (4-9)
15. Carolina Panthers (3-10)
16. New York Giants (2-11)

NFC West standings

1. Seattle Seahawks, 8-5

2. Los Angeles Rams, 7-6
3. Arizona Cardinals, 6-7

4. San Francisco 49ers, 6-7