What 49ers need to do to secure No. 1 seed in NFC playoff picture
By Scott Conrad
NFC playoff picture: What 49ers can control
San Francisco sits at 9-3, as do the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. However, the 49ers have won their head-to-head matchups against both the Cowboys and Eagles, which is a crucial tiebreaker, depending on who winds up winning the NFC East.
A pair of 6-6 playoff hopefuls still sit three games back in the NFC West standings: the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. The Niners host the Seahawks this Sunday and close out the regular season at home versus the Rams in Week 18.
As such, San Francisco's path to the No. 1 overall seed is pretty straightforward: win out and have a great chance. However, there is a challenging Week 16 contest as the 49ers host the playoff-bound Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day.
The Niners could and should wrap up the regular season with a record of 14-3 or 13-4. They will need some other results to fall their way to secure the top overall seed, though.