The San Francisco 49ers managed to stave off another come-from-behind win by the Chicago Bears and moved to 12-4. Unfortunately, due to the rest of their division being so stacked, they're still in a wild card spot in the NFC playoff picture.
The good news is that they control their own destiny. If they beat the Seahawks next Saturday, they'll win the NFC West and will hold the number one seed in the NFC playoffs. It's crazy that that's a possibility for this Niners team considering how banged up they've been this year but the 49ers are proving they can win no matter what the circumstances are.
Here's the updated NFC playoff standings after Sunday Night Football:
- Seattle Seahawks (13-3, 1st in NFC West)
- Chicago Bears (11-5, 1st in NFC North)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-5, 1st in NFC East)
- Carolina Panthers (8-8, 1st in NFC South)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-4, 2nd in NFC West)
- Los Angeles Rams (11-4*, 3rd in NFC West)
- Green Bay Packers (9-6-1, 2nd in NFC North)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8, 2nd in NFC South)
- Minnesota Vikings (8-8, 3rd in NFC North) - Eliminated
- Detroit Lions (8-8, 4th in NFC North) - Eliminated
- Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1, 2nd in NFC East) - Eliminated
- Atlanta Falcons (6-9*, 3rd in NFC South) - Eliminated
- New Orleans Saints (6-10, 4th in NFC South) - Eliminated
- Washington Commanders (4-12, 3rd in NFC East) - Eliminated
- Arizona Cardinals (3-13, 4th in NFC West) - Eliminated
- New York Giants (3-13, 4th in NFC East) - Eliminated
49ers keep winning and suddenly control entire NFC playoff picture
If the season ended this very instant, the 49ers would not win the NFC West and would therefore have to play the entirety of the playoffs on the road (well, more than likely). They'd start with a wild card matchup against the Panthers so, as far as matchups go, that wouldn't be a terrible one (though the Panthers did upset the Rams not long ago so anything is possible).
If the 49ers can beat the Seahawks on Saturday, they'll win the division, earn the number one seed, and not have to play on the road again for the rest of the season since the Super Bowl is in their home stadium. There's a lot at stake next weekend but if these Niners have shown us anything this season, it's that no task is too tall for them. Why would this be any different?