The good news is that the San Francisco 49ers clinched a playoff berth for the first time since the 2013 season despite their 29-22 Week 15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. That comes thanks to a 44-21 loss by the Los Angeles Rams to the Dallas Cowboys.
The bad news is that the 49ers, once again, lost control of the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff standings with their Week 15 loss and, thanks to the Seattle Seahawks' win over the Carolina Panthers 30-24, drop from the top record in the conference to the No. 5 seed and second place in the NFC West.
San Francisco has two more games remaining on its schedule, including a crucial Week 17 road matchup against the Seahawks. Next up will be a home game against the Rams before that trip to CenturyLink Field in a game that could be significant in determining the postseason bracket in the NFC.
Below is the current playoff picture in the NFC. The New Orleans Saints play on Monday night.
NFC division leaders with bye weeks
1 Seed: Seattle Seahawks (11-3)
2 Seed: Green Bay Packers (11-3)
NFC division leaders in the Wildcard round
3 Seed: New Orleans Saints (10-3)
4 Seed: Dallas Cowboys (7-7)
NFC Wildcards
5 Seed: San Francisco 49ers (11-3)
6 Seed: Minnesota Vikings (10-4)