Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, home of the 6-1 49ers. Photo by David290, resized.Three clubs at 6-1: 49ers, Bills and Vikings into Week 9, step by step
Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, home of the 6-1 49ers. Photo by David290, resized.The last three at 6-1
After Week 8 and Thursday’s Jaguars-Ravens game, three NFL clubs sit at 6-1: the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings. Nobody else is there. Chicago, Pittsburgh, Denver and Jacksonville are next at 6-2.
Point differential separates the trio. San Francisco leads at plus-58. Buffalo is plus-52. Minnesota is plus-47. Jacksonville still owns the league’s best margin among the 6-2 group after a 33-10 win in Baltimore, but the 6-1 line belongs only to these three.
The 6-1 club by point differential
- 49ers on bye; Bills beat Baltimore 36-10; Vikings fall 19-15 at Detroit.
- Jaguars beat Ravens 33-10 and move to 6-2.
- Only SF, BUF and MIN remain at 6-1.
Brock Purdy on November 5, 2026. Image: San Francisco 49ers / YouTube.49ers: plus-58 and a home date
San Francisco is 6-1 with a plus-58 point differential — second in the league behind only Jacksonville’s post-Thursday margin — and averages 28.1 points scored with 19.9 allowed. The 49ers are 4-0 at home. Their only loss was 29-20 at Atlanta in Week 7; they spent Week 8 on bye.
Week 9 brings the Las Vegas Raiders (4-4) to Levi’s Stadium at 4:25 p.m. ET. Brandon Aiyuk has reported, met with club leadership and said he is back to full strength as the deadline week opens.
49ers scoring profile
“San Francisco hit the bye at the ideal time, spending the week off processing its first loss.”— WhyNFL Staff, on the 49ers’ Week 8 pause
Josh Allen on November 1, 2026. Image: Buffalo Bills / YouTube.Bills: plus-52 and a third straight win
Buffalo is 6-1 with a plus-52 differential and the league’s most explosive offense at 33.3 points a game. The Bills have won three straight, capped by a 36-10 home win over the Ravens in Week 8. Josh Allen threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns in that game as Baltimore managed only 144 total yards.
The defense that night was a jump in aggression; the bigger test is Monday night in Minnesota against another 6-1 club.
Bills vs. the other 6-1 clubs
Justin Jefferson at the TCO Performance Center on October 28, 2026. Image: Minnesota Vikings / YouTube.Vikings: plus-47, defense-first
Minnesota is 6-1 with a plus-47 differential built the opposite way: 20.0 points scored and 13.3 allowed — the stingiest defense among the three. The Vikings’ first loss was 19-15 at Detroit in Week 8, a game that finally broke a string of one-score escapes.
They still lead the NFC North by half a game over the 6-2 Bears. Monday night against Buffalo is the heaviestweight home game of their season so far.
Vikings defensive edge
- Minnesota won close games behind the defense.
- Lost 19-15 at Detroit — first defeat.
- Host Buffalo on Monday night.
Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. Photo by Quintin Soloviev, resized.Sunday first, then Monday’s collision
Week 9 starts in Madrid with Bengals-Falcons at 9:30 a.m. ET, then a full Sunday slate. The 49ers host the Raiders at 4:25 p.m. ET. The Bears (6-2) host Tampa Bay in the Sunday night game. Pittsburgh is on bye.
Then comes the headline: Buffalo at Minnesota on Monday night — two of the three 6-1 teams in the same building. One will leave 7-1. One will leave 6-2 and share the second tier with Chicago, Pittsburgh, Denver and Jacksonville.
Records to watch this weekend
Kevin O’Connell spoke on November 2, 2026. Image: Minnesota Vikings / YouTube.What 6-1 usually buys
Three 6-1 clubs at this stage of a season are already in the thick of seeding races. San Francisco leads the NFC West by 2.5 games over the Rams and Seahawks. Buffalo leads the AFC East by 1.5 over New England. Minnesota leads the NFC North by half a game over Chicago.
Sunday’s 49ers-Raiders result and Monday’s Bills-Vikings result will decide whether the 6-1 club shrinks to one — or stays at two with San Francisco waiting for the rematch picture after Week 9.
“Two of the three 6-1 teams share a Monday night field. The third hosts Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon.”— WhyNFL Staff, on the Week 9 gauntlet
Three teams at 6-1. Differentials of plus-58, plus-52 and plus-47. Raiders at Levi’s on Sunday, then Bills at Vikings on Monday. By Tuesday morning the 6-1 club will be smaller — and the seeding board will have moved.
Interactive by WhyNFL Staff · November 7, 2026
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