The San Francisco 49ers looked like a team primed to take the number one seed in the NFC back when they throttled the Dallas Cowboys 42-10 three weeks ago.

Now they aren't even first in their own division.

San Francisco slumped to its third straight defeat on Sunday, losing 31-17 at home to the Cincinnati Bengals and dropping to 5-3 in the process.

That loss, combined with the Seattle Seahawks' dramatic late win over the Cleveland Browns, means it is Seattle that leads the NFC West at 5-2.

The Niners will reclaim the lead of the division without even playing a game next week if the Seahawks lose on the road to the Baltimore Ravens. San Francisco is on bye in Week 9.

But it is a position nobody expected the Niners to be in at this point following their red-hot start to the campaign.

It is yet another reminder that things can change in a hurry in the NFL, and the Niners will be hoping the Ravens can reiterate that point to the Seahawks next Sunday while San Francisco licks it wounds and tries to figure out a way to stop the skid.

Brock Purdy explains strange interception in 49ers’ loss to Bengals

It was a huge mental error.