The San Francisco 49ers can clinch the NFC West and lock up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs by winning their final two regular-season games, starting this weekend against the Chicago Bears and concluding with a division matchup versus the Seattle Seahawks.
For a team that spent much of the season sitting third in the NFC West, finishing as the conference's top seed would be notable given the adversity the roster has weathered, including the injuries to key playmakers Fred Warner and Nick Bosa.
On Friday, veteran left tackle Trent Williams emphasized what's at stake for the 49ers down the stretch. Ensuring the road to Super Bowl LX runs through Levi's Stadium remains a major goal.
"I think anytime you can play in front of your home fans, it's always something you should take advantage of, especially with us," Williams said. "We have the best fan group in sports, period. So, anytime we can bring somebody to our stadium, I think we have an advantage."
Securing the No. 1 seed would also give the 49ers a valuable postseason bye. After playing 13 straight weeks before their December break, Williams noted how beneficial the added recovery time would be.
"Anytime you can get some time to just heal and rehab and recover, I think it's very beneficial, especially later in the year," Williams said. "So, we were able to go through how hard it is to go [13] weeks without a bye, and then we were able to reap the benefits of getting a bye in early December, and getting one late in the season.
"I definitely think it would come with benefits, and just being able to get players who got little knick-knacks, and guys dealing with injuries and stuff, to be able to give them extra time to get back."
Williams and many of his teammates still remember how critical home-field advantage was during the 2023 playoffs, a run that helped propel the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
"It is a really good feeling to have home-field advantage in the playoffs," Williams said. "Everybody that was here in '23, I know they can remember how the roar of the crowd, and just that atmosphere of playoff football here is different."