The Seattle Seahawks hope to work their way back into the playoff picture with a Thursday night win over the visiting San Francisco 49ers. They are currently on the outside looking in, ranked eighth in an NFC playoff picture that will allow seven conference teams to play in the postseason.
Meanwhile, the 49ers can clinch the NFC West with a win over their division rivals, ensuring they play at least one home game in the playoffs. They'll have to do it with rookie quarterback Brock Purdy at the helm of the offense and without Deebo Samuel for most of the regular-season home stretch. The wide receiver sustained MCL and ankle sprains during Sunday's win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 9-4 Niners, armed with the league's top-ranked defense, remain in a position to earn the No. 3 seed in the NFC. They hope to increase their win streak to seven games on Thursday night, inching closer to the No. 2 seed.
If the season ended today, the 49ers would be preparing to host the Washington Commanders, their Week 16 opponent, at Levi's Stadium. San Francisco has lost two of its last three against Washington, with the last victory coming in 2019.
After games against the Seahawks and Commanders, the 49ers will travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders before closing out the season at home against the Arizona Cardinals.
Below are the current NFC playoff standings.
- Philadelphia Eagles (12-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (10-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)
- Dallas Cowboys (10-3)
- Washington Commanders (7-5-1)
- New York Giants (7-5-1)
* Division leaders in bold
Below are the teams that would be on the outside looking in if the season ended today.
- Seattle Seahawks (7-6)
- Detroit Lions (6-7)
- Green Bay Packers (5-8)
- Carolina Panthers (5-8)
- Atlanta Falcons (5-8)
Below are the Wildcard matchups if the season ended today. The Eagles would await the weakest-seeded winner to emerge from the first round of games.
- New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings
- Washington Commanders at San Francisco 49ers
- Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers