The Dallas Cowboys' 20-19 win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium significantly impacted the 49ers' path to securing home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
With the Lions' loss on a highly controversial penalty called on a two-point conversion attempt, the 49ers now have an opportunity to clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed as soon as Sunday.
Should San Francisco win its matchup against the Washington Commanders on Sunday at FedExField, a loss by the Philadelphia Eagles to the Arizona Cardinals then would secure the top seed for the 49ers.
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The Cowboys improved to 11-5 on the season with their win Saturday, placing them a half-game behind the 49ers in the loss column in the NFC standings. However, their chances of leap-frogging San Francisco for the top seed still remain slim, as the 49ers maintain a tiebreaker because of their resounding 42-10 win over the Cowboys in Week 5.
After losing to Dallas, Detroit moved to 11-5 while losing a crucial tiebreaker to the Cowboys with the head-to-head defeat. Despite the 49ers not playing the Lions this season, San Francisco also holds a tiebreaker advantage over Detroit because of its superior record in NFC games (9-1 versus 7-4).
Should San Francisco beat Washington and Philadelphia win its matchup with Arizona at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, both teams will boast 12-4 records. However, the 49ers also hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Eagles because of their 42-19 win over Philadelphia in Week 13.
This result also would mean that to secure the No. 1 seed, the 49ers must win their Week 18 matchup with the red-hot Los Angeles Rams, who currently sit No. 6 in the NFC playoff picture. Should the 49ers win that pivotal matchup between NFC West rivals, San Francisco will secure a first-round bye regardless of the results of Detroit and Philadelphia's Week 18 games.
San Francisco 49ers
Here's what the updated NFC Week 17 playoff scenarios look like after Dallas' win Saturday:
Clinched
San Francisco 49ers (11-4): NFC West title
Detroit Lions (11-5): NFC North title
Philadelphia Eagles (11-4): Playoff berth
Dallas Cowboys (11-5): Playoff berth
49ers
Clinch NFC's No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
-- Win over Washington Commanders + Eagles loss to Arizona Cardinals
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
Clinch playoff berth and NFC South title with:
-- Win over New Orleans Saints OR
-- Tie vs. Saints + Atlanta Falcons loss to Chicago Bears
Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
Clinch playoff berth with:
-- Win over Pittsburgh Steelers + Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings tie
Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
Clinch playoff berth with:
-- Win over New York Giants + Seahawks loss to Steelers OR
-- Win over Giants + Packers-Vikings tie
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