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49ers playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 15 (it could happen sooner)

The Niners may not have to wait until next week to clinch a playoff berth, but they most likely will if we're being honest.
Peter Panacy
Peter Panacy

Niner Noise

San Francisco 49ers left guard Aaron Banks (65) and tight end George Kittle (85) / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages

The 49ers haven't quite wrapped up the NFC West, but it's almost in the bag with four weeks remaining. Here's how a playoff berth can be clinched.

The 10-3 San Francisco 49ers have gone a perfect 4-0 within the NFC West but have two games left to play within the division, one against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15 and another against the Los Angeles Rams to close out the regular season.

While the Niners have been in control of the NFC West for some weeks now, a true dagger was applied when they knocked off the Seattle Seahawks 28-16 in Week 14, which eliminated the Hawks from winning the division and also kept them in third place in the NFC West behind the Rams, who also lost on Sunday.

Additionally, head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad got some massive help from the Dallas Cowboys over the Philadelphia Eagles, which granted San Francisco the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture, currently.

49ers' path to clinching NFC West

Through 14 weeks, here are the NFC West standings:

  1. San Francisco 49ers (10-3)
  2. Los Angeles Rams (6-7)
  3. Seattle Seahawks (6-7)
  4. Arizona Cardinals (3-10)

Related story: NFL tiebreaker rules: How are tiebreaking procedures determined for playoffs?

With four weeks remaining in the regular season, and one game still to be decided against LA, San Francisco can't quite clinch the NFC West just yet.

However, should the 49ers beat the Cardinals in Week 15, or Los Angeles loses its game to the Washington Commanders, the Niners would then be division champions for the second year in a row.

49ers could still clinch a NFL playoff berth in Week 14

Now the No. 1 seed, San Francisco does have a scenario in which it could clinch a playoff berth before Week 14 is even finished.

The four-win New York Giants host the No. 7 seed in the NFC, the Green Bay Packers, on Monday Night Football. Should the Packers end up losing that game, it would result in the 49ers clinching a playoff berth at the absolute worst.

However, if Green Bay pulls off a win against the G-Men, the Niners would have to wait until Week 14 to secure a postseason trip.

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Peter Panacy

Peter Panacy

Peter Panacy is a widely published writer, starting with Bleacher Report in 2011 and becoming their 49ers lead columnist, then joining Niner Noise in 2015. He has had exclusive interviews with Hall of Famers Steve Young and Jerry Rice, as well as current players George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk and Richard Sherman. He has also made appearances on multiple radio stations, including the Bay Area's 95.7 The Game and the Bay Area's KNBR 680.