I'm not going to lie. I had to completely rewrite this article. That's because, for a while, it looked like the Indianapolis Colts would beat the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday. The Vikings were down 33-0 at one point, after all. Minnesota ended up mounting the largest comeback in NFL history, winning 39-36 in overtime and clinching the NFC North.
A Vikings loss would have put the San Francisco 49ers in the driver's seat for the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. Instead, they remain situated with the No. 3 seed after the Vikings' victory.
Each team has three games remaining on their schedule. The 49ers will host the Washington Commanders on Christmas Eve and then travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders before closing the regular season against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Vikings will close out the regular season against the New York Giants at home and then the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears on the road.
The 49ers have already assured themselves nothing worse than the No. 3 seed by winning the NFC West on Thursday night with a win over the Seattle Seahawks. So they are guaranteed to open the postseason at Levi's Stadium.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan knows that the No. 2 seed might increase the 49ers' chances of reaching the Super Bowl again.
"I think you have to be smart," Shanahan responded after being asked about the importance of finishing the regular season strong. "I mean, you never just want to stop. You can't lose your edge. It's not something you can turn on and off."
The No. 2 seed could mean two home playoff games for the 49ers and perhaps even hosting the NFC Championship Game should another team knock off the Philadelphia Eagles. So San Francisco will keep playing hard while hoping for a Minnesota loss.
"At the same time, you do need to be smart," Shanahan continued. "It's very important to get home games. So, we'll do everything we can to do that, but by no means at the expense of risking someone that we shouldn't be doing."
If the season ended today, the 49ers would host the Commanders, their next opponent, in the first round of the playoffs.
