San Francisco 49ers clinch top seed in NFC playoffs after gut-check win over Seahawks
From a standings perspective, the regular season couldn’t have gone any better for the San Francisco 49ers as they clinched their first division title since 2012 with a 13-3 record.
Their 26-21 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night ensured the No. 1 seed in the NFC, giving them home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and an important bye during the first round.
San Francisco during the weekend of Jan. 11 and 12 will play the lowest possible seed still alive. The Wild Card round will feature the third seed New Orleans Saints (13-3) hosting No. 6 Minnesota Vikings (10-6) and the No. 5 Seahawks (11-5) going to play the fourth seed Philadelphia Eagles (9-7).
The Saints are heavily favored over Minnesota to advance to Round 2, making it likely the 49ers would play the winner of Seattle versus Philadelphia in the first 49ers playoff game at Levi’s Stadium. A win for Seattle would mark the third meeting of the year between the NFC West rivals, and the rare scenario where teams play in back-to-back games.
San Francisco’s last playoff appearance before this season came in the NFC title game after the 2013 season — also against Seattle.
Getting a bye has been important in recent seasons. The last six Super Bowl winners had first-round byes.
