Now 6-1 and on their bye week, the San Francisco 49ers will be watching Week 8 affairs from the couch. They are in firm control of the NFC West and are in the process of bolstering their roster via the trade market.
But that doesn't mean they have nothing to root for. On Thursday Night Football, the Carolina Panthers travel to Green Bay to face the Packers. While neither team resides in their division, the 49ers have a clear horse in the race, and it's thanks to the current state of the Seattle Seahawks.
As it stands, the Seahawks are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. They are the eighth seed and are looking to secure a Wild Card spot, assuming San Francisco holds on to their division lead.
The Packers are currently the seventh seed and, given Kyle Shanahan's history against Green Bay, he will likely be rooting for things to stay that way.
Shanahan has a perfect 3-0 record against Packers coach Matt LaFleur in the postseason. Two of those games were stepping stones on the way to a Super Bowl appearance.
49ers would much rather face Packers in hypothetical Wild Card game than Seahawks
Shanahan against Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, on the other hand, has looked much different. Since Macdonald became the head coach in Seattle, his Seahawks have outscored the 49ers 133-97 in six games. In the lone playoff matchup in 2025, the Hawks trounced the Niners 41-6.
Kyle Shanahan bested his counterpart 32-29 this season, but Seattle has since added Pro B guard Quenton Nelson and doesn't appear to be done improving.
The 49ers are currently the second seed in the NFC, which means if the season ended today, they would face the Packers, with the Seahawks being the odd man out. In other words, all three of these teams are destined to dance around each other as the playoff picture becomes clearer.
A Green Bay win on Thursday Night Football would go a long way to keep Seattle out of the playoffs. Though much is yet to be decided, the 49ers would surely benefit from Wild Card teams like the Packers and Lions to continue winning. Both teams have obvious holes, and coach Kyle Shanahan has experienced more success against them than Macdonald.
While the red and gold use the bye to get healthy, the Packers look to improve their postseason standing and, hopefully, keep the boogeyman that is Mike Macdonald watching from afar.
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