The San Francisco 49ers secured a playoff berth on Monday night following the New York Giants' upset victory over the Green Bay Packers. While the Bay Area team currently holds the top spot in the NFC playoff standings and is in the driver's seat for home-field advantage, the 49ers have yet to clinch the NFC West title.
That can change this weekend. The NFL has outlined playoff scenarios for Week 15, noting that the 49ers can lock up the NFC West title, guaranteeing at least one home playoff game, in two possible scenarios on Sunday.
The first is straightforward: a victory over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. In this case, the Los Angeles Rams could not overtake the 49ers in the remaining weeks.
However, if the Cardinals manage to secure an upset victory, the 49ers can still clinch the division title with a Rams loss to the Washington Commanders.
While anything can happen in these final four weeks of the NFL season, San Francisco maintains a focused, one-game-at-a-time mentality with no intention of looking beyond the upcoming matchup against the Cardinals. This approach extends to the race for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
"I'll have a reaction when it is the number one spot, if it is, because that's when the season ends," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday. "Right now, it doesn't mean much. It just means where you're at now. And I know we won't be that if we don't handle business this week. So that's really all we're worried about this week, and then we'll move to who we play after that."