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.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
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
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
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
***
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
***
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
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast