Key match ups over the holiday weekend

The San Francisco 49ers will head into a tough road environment to face the Seattle Seahawks on Christmas Eve at 1:15 PM PT. A victory would mean a Merry Christmas for 49ers fans while a defeat might scramble the team's playoff picture.

Seahawks personnel executive Scot McCloughan, the former general manager for the 49ers, is confident that his team is better. "They come to our place Christmas Eve, and we're going to beat the hell out of 'em," McCloughan told Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports.

The 49ers are coming off of one of their biggest games in years, a 20-3 Monday Night Football victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The win put the 49ers, seeking a first round bye, in control of their playoff destiny. The 49ers, who have the same record as the New Orleans Saints, also own the tie-breaker because of a better conference record.

On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks are red hot right now. Currently sitting at 7-7, they have won five of their last six, including victories over the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles.

Here are some other key week 16 matchups that may impact San Francisco.

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

When: Sunday, December 25, 2011 at 5:20 PM PT

Where: Lambeau Field Green Bay, Wisconsin

Why you should care: Even with Green Bay's first loss of the season last weekend, they are still on target to clinch home-field advantage in the NFC. However, the 49ers still have a slim chance. The Packers would need to lose their final two games, both of which are at home against division opponents, and the 49ers would need to win their final two games, both of which are on the road against division opponents. Unlikely, but still a possibility.

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

When: Monday, December 26, 2011 at 5:30 PM PT

Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana

Why you should care: As previously mentioned, the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints own the same record and the 49ers edge the Saints only by a tie-breaker. A Saints loss and a 49ers win would clinch at least the second best record in the NFC for San Francisco. The Saints are playing very good football right now, maybe even the best in the NFC. Come playoff time, facing them in San Francisco would be easier than facing them on the road in New Orleans. If the season ended today, the Saints would host a wildcard game against the Detroit Lions. A win in that round would make them San Francisco's first playoff opponent. This makes this matchup a very key game to watch.

NFC Playoff Picture: If the season ended today
If the season ended today, the following would be the playoff scenario for January.

Home-field Advantage and First Round Bye: Green Bay Packers

Green Bay's (1st seed) first game would take place the weekend of January 14th and they would face the weakest ranked survivor from the wildcard round.

First Round Bye: San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco's (2nd seed) first game would take place the weekend of January 14th and they would face the strongest ranked survivor from the wildcard round.

Wildcard Round: Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints

This matchup would take place the weekend of January 7th.

A New Orleans Saints (3rd seed) win would send them to San Francisco the following weekend. A Detroit Lions (6th seed) win would send them to Green Bay.

Wildcard Round: Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys

This matchup would take place the weekend of January 7th.

A Dallas Cowboys (4th seed) win paired with a Detroit Lions loss would send them to Green Bay the following weekend. A Dallas Cowboys win paired with a New Orleans Saints loss would send them to San Francisco the following weekend.

An Atlanta Falcons (5th seed) win paired with a Detroit Lions loss would send them to Green Bay the following weekend. An Atlanta Falcons win paired with a New Orleans Saints loss would send them to San Francisco the following weekend.