The San Francisco 49ers couldn’t have had their Bye Week at a more perfect time.

It gives them time to rest and regroup after a rough first eight games of the season. More importantly, their Bye comes at the midway point of the season. That is always the optimal time for a Bye, especially for the 49ers eyeing a playoff push late in the season.

However, they could use a bit of help in doing so. That help must come from a team that is usually an enemy: the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers should root for the Seahawks to win in Week 9 while they’re on theirr Bye. The reason they want the Seahawks to win is because they are facing the Los Angeles Rams. After starting the season 1-4, the Rams have gone on a surge.

They are getting healthy and have momentum. By far, they are the most threatening opponent to the 49ers in the NFC West. They also hold the tiebreaker over the 49ers thanks to a Week 3 collapse. The 49ers need the Seahawks to win so that the Rams don’t reach a 4-4 record. Now, it will make the Seahawks 5-4, but the 49ers have the tiebreaker over them.

Plus, the 49ers will face them in Week 11 at home. Seattle is a team the 49ers have dominated for three years straight, so that is most likely going to be a win for them. Since the Seahawks are hardly a threat, it is fine for them to get a win over the Rams so that they impede the Rams’ progress. If rooting for the Seahawks is weird, then perhaps rooting for the Rams to lose is easier to stomach.

In any case, the 49ers benefit more from a Rams loss and that should be their rooting interest.