The 49ers already clinched a playoff berth last week, and they officially are NFC West champions after their 45-29 takedown of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at State Farm Stadium.
Now, San Francisco has its sight set on the NFC's No. 1 seed -- and the Philadelphia Eagles' shocking loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night made the 49ers' job a little bit easier.
As it stands, the 49ers (11-3) remain in the conference's top spot and control their own destiny down the stretch with the Eagles (10-4), Detroit Lions (10-4) and Dallas Cowboys (10-4) hot on their heels.
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If San Francisco can hang on to the No. 1 seed, the team will earn a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. That could prove to be incredibly important as the 49ers deal with a slew of injuries along their vaunted defensive line. As it stands, the 49ers hold head-to-head and conference tiebreakers against the three other top NFC teams.
If the regular season ended today, the 49ers would host the winner of an Eagles-Tampa Bay Buccaneers wild-card game at Levi's Stadium in the divisional round.
Here's where the NFL playoff picture stands heading into Week 16 of the 2023 season:
NFC Standings
San Francisco 49ers
1. San Francisco 49ers -- 11-3
2. Dallas Cowboys -- 10-4
3. Detroit Lions -- 10-4
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- 7-7
5. Philadelphia Eagles -- 10-4
6. Minnesota Vikings -- 7-7
7. Los Angeles Rams -- 7-7
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8. Seattle Seahawks -- 7-7
9. New Orleans Saints -- 7-7
10. Atlanta Falcons -- 6-8
11. Green Bay Packers -- 6-8
12. New York Giants -- 5-9
13. Chicago Bears -- 5-9
14. Washington Commanders --4-10
15. Arizona Cardinals -- 3-11
16. Carolina Panthers -- 2-12
AFC Standings
1. Baltimore Ravens -- 11-3
2. Miami Dolphins -- 10-4
3. Kansas City Chiefs -- 9-5
4. Jacksonville Jaguars -- 8-6
5. Cleveland Browns -- 9-5
6. Cincinnati Bengals -- 8--6
7. Indianapolis Colts -- 8-6
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8. Houston Texans -- 8-6
9. Buffalo Bills -- 8-6
10. Pittsburgh Steelers -- 7-7
11. Denver Broncos -- 7-7
12. Las Vegas Raiders -- 6-8
13. Los Angeles Chargers -- 5-9
14. Tennessee Titans -- 5-9
15. New York Jets -- 5-9
16. New England Patriots -- 3-11
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