Barring something shocking, the 49ers will make the playoffs in 2021.
Sunday’s dominant win over the Falcons practically ensured that. According to NBC’s Steve Kornacki, the victory gives San Francisco a 91% chance to make it to the postseason. FiveThirtyEight gives the Red and Gold a 88% chance.
Beyond that not much has changed. At 8-6, the 49ers hold onto the 6th seed in the NFC playoff picture, now 1.5 games ahead of Washington, Philadelphia and New Orleans, all of whom sit at 6-7, and all of whom have yet to play this week. If the playoffs were to begin today, Washington would get the 7th an final spot thanks to tiebreakers.
As the standings currently sit, the 49ers would face the No. 3 seeded Dallas Cowboys (10-4) at AT&T Stadium. The 49ers and Cowboys had one of the best playoff rivalries in football during the 1990s, meeting in the N.F.C. championship three years in a row during the 1992-1994 seasons. Dallas won the first two meetings before San Francisco won in 1994 en route to a Super Bowl victory.
Here are the full NFC Standings as of 5 p.m. on Sunday Dec. 19:
First-round bye
No. 1: Green Bay Packers (11-3)
Other division leaders
No. 2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-3) (Yet to play)
No. 3: Dallas Cowboys (10-4)
No. 4: Arizona Cardinals (10-4)
Wild-card
No. 5: Los Angeles Rams (9-4) (Yet to play)
No. 6: San Francisco 49ers (8-6)
No. 7: Washington Football Team (6-7) (Yet to play)
In the hunt
No. 8: Minnesota Vikings (6-7) (Yet to play)
No. 9: Philadelphia Eagles (6-7) (Yet to play)
No. 10: New Orleans Saints (6-7) (Yet to play)
No. 11: Atlanta Falcons (6-8)
No. 12: Seattle Seahawks (5-8) (Yet to play)
No. 13: Carolina Panthers (5-9)
No. 14: Chicago Bears (4-9) (Yet to play)
No. 15: New York Giants (4-10)
No. 16: Detroit Lions (2-10-1)