While almost all of the actual playoff teams have been decided, the NFC is so tight that only the NFC South winner will know its seeding. Current leaders Carolina could be hoping for a potentially favorable Wild Card matchup thanks to the 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers both hold their own destinies in their hands coming into the last two weeks of the regular season.
Both know if they win out, they win their division. They also know that winning out guarantees the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds for San Francisco and Carolina, respectively.
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The NFC is a very close-run and intertwined thing as far as the playoffs are concerned, and the only part that is known for sure is the NFC South winner is going to be that No. 4 seed. And with it is likely either the Niners , Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams or Chicago Bears for the winner.
One caveat, the Panthers essentially need to win out to guarantee the division we can assume they beat the Seahawks, too.
With that said, the 49ers could end up doing the Panthers a favor.
Defeating the dangerous Bears would essentially eliminate Chicago from the No. 5 seed as they fall behind the NFC West teams (presuming the Rams beat the lowly Falcons) since they would either win the NFC North or the Nos. 6 or 7 seeds.
If that's the case, the Seahawks or the Rams await Carolina in the playoffs. The Rams, they've already beat, and the Seahawks, they would beat in this situation. A home playoff team against a team they already defeated is the dream scenario for a Panthers squad that will be desperate to show they aren't making up the numbers.
The 49ers already beat Carolina in what was not exactly the Niners at their best, and the Bears, the Panthers don't play this season unless in the playoffs. Sure, the Panthers might believe they could beat those teams, but in this situation they know they can beat the Rams or Seahawks.
Now, of course, anything can happen between here and now, but the truth still remains the same. The 49ers could deliver a big Christmas gift to the Panthers if they can knock off the Bears and give them a NFC West opponent they're comfortable with.
If they should then defeat them again, so much the better as well.