Monday night's game between the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers will not impact the current NFC playoff picture, so it's safe to look at it before Week 15 has entirely played out.
The San Francisco 49ers had an opportunity to advance to the No. 2 seed. It looked like that was going to happen when the Indianapolis Colts had a commanding 33-0 lead over the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday. Then, Kirk Cousins and the Vikings mounted the largest comeback in NFL history, eventually winning the game 39-36 in overtime. A Minnesota loss would have catapulted San Francisco into the No. 2 seed spot and dropped the Vikings to No. 3.
Another game, Sunday night's matchup between the New York Giants and Washington Commanders, impacted the 49ers' playoff outlook. Heading into the game, San Francisco was on track to host the Commanders, who happen to be their Week 16 opponents, in the opening round of the postseason. However, the Giants' win advanced them to the No. 6 seed, which means they, not the Commanders, would travel to Levi's Stadium if the regular season ended today.
San Francisco has won seven consecutive games and come out on top in two of its last three matchups against the Giants, including the last meeting between the two teams, a 36-9 victory in 2020.
After the contest against Washington, San Francisco will travel to face the Las Vegas Raiders and then host the Arizona Cardinals to close out the regular season.
Below are the current NFC playoff standings.
- * Philadelphia Eagles (13-1)
- * Minnesota Vikings (11-3)
- * San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-8)
- * Dallas Cowboys (10-4)
- New York Giants (8-5-1)
- Washington Commanders (7-6-1)
* Clinched playoff spot
Division leaders in bold
Below are the teams that would be on the outside looking in if the season ended today.
- Seattle Seahawks (7-7)
- Detroit Lions (7-7)
- Green Bay Packers (5-8, plays Monday night)
- Carolina Panthers (5-9)
- New Orleans Saints (5-9)
- Atlanta Falcons (5-9)
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.
- Washington Commanders at Minnesota Vikings
- New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers
- Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers