Where 49ers sit in NFC playoff picture after Week 12 shenanigans
By Peter Panacy
Thanksgiving weekend around the NFL was a wild one, and the 49ers were certainly impacted by what took place on (and after) their own Turkey Day victory.
Week 12 turned out to be pretty decisive in helping shape the stretch run of the 2023 regular season and how seedings will turn out when the playoffs arrive in January.
Crazy to think there's only a month-plus left of regular-season football.
The San Francisco 49ers had one of those decisive games in Week 12, beating the playoff-hopeful Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving by a score of 31-13. But the Niners were paying close attention to the other two Turkey Day games, too, as both the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are right in the thick of the NFC playoff picture.
With Week 12 now complete, following the Chicago Bears' thrilling (yawn) 12-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, let's check out how San Francisco fared in its climb in the standings as we look at the rest of the conference as a whole.
49ers climb a spot in NFC playoff picture after Week 12, still trail Eagles
The 49ers entered Week 12 in the No. 3 seed in the NFC postseason outlook, trailing the No. 1-seeded Philadelphia Eagles and the two-seeded Detroit Lions in the standings.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. didn't get help from the Buffalo Bills, who had their chance to beat Philly but ultimately lost in overtime, which means the Eagles are still the top seed in the conference.
But the Niners did get some love from quarterback Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers, who knocked off the Lions on Thanksgiving, and that shakes up the NFC standings a good deal.
- Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)*
- San Francisco 49ers (8-3)*
- Detroit LIons (8-3)*
- Atlanta Falcons (5-6)*
- Dallas Cowboys (8-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
- Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
*division leaders
San Francisco now holds the No. 2 seed over Detroit because of a better conference record (3-0 to 2-1), which means the 49ers would host the Vikings in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, if they began this week.
Related story: 49ers vs. Eagles: Game time, location, TV and streaming, odds and more
Minnesota, of course, defeated the Niners back during that infamous three-game losing streak. But that was with quarterback Kirk Cousins at the helm, and he's now shelved on injured reserve for the rest of the year.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys pulled off a commanding Thursday victory over the Washington Commanders. But, unless Philadelphia somehow falls apart down the stretch, Dallas is looking squarely at being a Wild Card team despite having an identical record as San Francisco and Detroit, who are leading their respective divisions.
So, while Week 12 was interesting, Week 13 could be a blast. Especially with the 49ers visiting the Eagles in a game that could potentially see a shift in the top seed with the playoffs not that far away.
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