It appears the 49ers will be playing an NFC East team in the first round of the playoffs.
The New York Giants’ (8-5-1) have a one-game cushion over the Washington Commanders (7-6-1) for the NFC’s No. 6 seed after their win on Sunday night. That means they would head to Levi’s Stadium to face the No. 3 seeded 49ers (10-4) if the playoffs were to start today. The Commanders have fallen to the No. 7 seed, and would face the No. 2 seeded Minnesota Vikings (11-3).
Of course this could still all change. The Seahawks and Lions are on the outside looking in at 7-7, and have three games to try and climb their way up the standings. There’s also the possibility that the 49ers could climb their way into the No. 2 seed, if the Vikings are to falter in the closing weeks.
It sure looked like the Vikings were going to give up their seed on Saturday, when they fell into a 33-0 hole vs. the Colts before storming back and winning in improbable fashion. If the Vikings and 49ers were to finish with the same record, San Francisco currently holds the conference record tiebreaker (8-2 to 6-3) meaning they would earn the higher seed.
At the bottom of the standings, the Giants now hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Commanders with their most recent win. Only the Eagles, Vikings, 49ers and Cowboys have clinched playoff spots at this juncture.
Here’s what the playoff picture looks like right now:
- Eagles (13-1) First Round Bye
- Vikings (11-3) NFC North Winner
- 49ers (10-4) NFC West Winner
- Buccaneers (6-8) NFC South Leader
- Cowboys (10-4) Clinched Playoff Berth / Wild Card
- Giants (8-5-1) Wild Card
- Commanders (7-6-1) Wild Card
In the hunt
Seattle Seahawks (7-7)
Detroit Lions (7-7)