Niners Pursue NFC’s No. 1 Seed, Relying on Eagles and Lions Outcomes

Niners Pursue NFC’s No. 1 Seed, Relying on Eagles and Lions Outcomes

Despite a tough loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week, the San Francisco 49ers can secure the one seed in the NFC before the end of Week 17 of the NFL. That would come with a coveted first-round bye and home-field advantage for the entire season — except for the Super Bowl, which will be played at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.

It’s incredibly rewarding to win as far as the opening round and watch potential future opponents get kicked out of the house. Last season, the main seeds in the NFC and AFC faced off in the Super Bowl: the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, this is a rarity. Last year, for example, sixth-seeded San Francisco lost to the first-seeded Green Bay Packers in the divisional round.

At the other end of the bracket, the Tennesee Titans led, but fell to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round that same postseason. However, the point remains. Securing home field advantage and a first-round bye is immensely valuable, and the 49ers have made no secret of their hopes of earning those honors.

The Eagles and Detroit Lions are still two teams competing with San Francisco, and all three teams have a record of 11-4. So the Niners have to take care of things by holding off the Commanders and hoping that Detroit and Philadelphia fall to their opponents.

The Eagles face the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night, while Detroit faces the 10-5 Dallas Cowboys. It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but mostly at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.