It may go against every bone in the bodies of San Francisco 49ers fans, but on Thursday night, fans will have to cheer for the Seattle Seahawks when they take on the Los Angeles Rams with all sorts of playoff implications on the line.
As David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard noted on social media following Sunday's games: "Packers lose. If Seattle can win at home against the Rams Thursday, the 49ers will control their destiny for the NFC’s #1 seed."
So basically, if Seattle wins against the Rams and then the Niners win their final three games of the regular season, that means San Francisco will be the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and the NFC would have to go through Levi's Stadium with the Super Bowl also being played in Santa Clara.
It would be an absolutely remarkable outcome for a 49ers team that has been overlooked or counted out for much of the season. With all of the injuries they have endured, to still end up as the top seed in the NFC would be a remarkable and improbable feat.
Fans know how important getting that No. 1 seed is. It's not a coincidence that the two times the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl under head coach Kyle Shanahan, it was when they had home-field advantage in the playoffs. That extra week of rest would be huge for a Niners team that's been ravaged by injuries.
As things currently stand, the 49ers are the No. 6 seed in the NFC and have a 99-percent chance of making the playoffs, according to The Athletic.
Unfortunately, the Niners were unable to gain any ground in the NFC West over the weekend with the Seahawks and Rams both winning their games. The NFC West has to be the strongest division in the NFL, so San Francisco will not have an easy path ahead.
The bout between Seattle and LA should be a good one. Their first matchup this season was a nail-biter as the Rams eked out a 21-19 victory. Former 49er quarterback Sam Darnold threw four interceptions in that game, though, so he will surely be looking for a better performance this time around.
No matter what, the Niners will still have to face Seattle in the Week 18 regular-season finale, so that game figures to have a lot of playoff implications.
It will feel odd, but cheering for the Seahawks is a necessary evil this week, but then we can all wash our mouths with soap and go back to hating them for the rest of the season.