49ers playoff picture: Has San Francisco qualified for the playoffs?

The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up their playoffs situation with a win against the Seattle Seahawks today. With a 10-4 record, they have now clinched the NFC West and the home field advantage that comes with it. With the Seattle Seahawks dropping to 7-7 and losing both matches and the head-to-head record against the 49ers, they cannot catch the 49ers now.

Where do the 49ers stand in the NFC playoff picture?

The San Francisco 49ers became the second team in the NFC to clinch a playoff berth after the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles defeated the Giants last week and moved to a 12-1 record.

Even though the Eagles have a better record than the 49ers, both of them took different paths to the playoff qualification. The Eagles are assured of, at least, a Wild Card spot because of their record. But there is no guarantee that they are going to have home field advantage by winning the division as the Dallas Cowboys are just two games behind at 10-3.

The 49ers have, instead, clinched their division, which makes it a different proposition. The Minnesota Vikings could join them from the NFC North with a victory in the coming week. They missed the chance last week when they lost to the Detroit Lions.

If the Vikings were to lose this week, they will have the same record as the 49ers but would drop to the third seed behind San Francisco. That is because the conference tiebreaker lies with the 49ers as they have a better 7-2 record against NFC teams compared to 6-3 for the Vikings.

49ers Playoff Picture and Seeding

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could also lose in the coming week, and if that happens, it would ensure that the NFC South team cannot reach more than nine wins this season. So, even the top team will only be guaranteed the number 4 seeding in the playoffs, which will ensure that San Francisco will not be able to fall below the third seed for the playoffs.

The playoff picture for the NFC is slowly developing, and the 49ers have made sure they will be there at the business end of the season. More dominoes will fall in the coming days to determine where each team ends up, but we are getting a fair idea of where each team stands in the NFC as it is now.

The most intriguing battle is still in the NFC East, where the Eagles and the Cowboys continue to battle for the top spot. The Vikings, in the meantime, will be looking to book their spot and join the 49ers and the Eagles.