The 49ers’ massive win over the Eagles in Week 13 didn’t get them to the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but it certainly kept them in the hunt. It also gave them a vital tiebreaker over a team that won’t likely have a ton of losses left on its schedule this season.
San Francisco gained a game on Philadelphia and stayed tied for second place in the NFC with the Detroit Lions. The Lions handled business on the road in New Orleans on Sunday to keep pace with the other NFC heavyweights.
Here’s what the conference standings look like after Week 13:
1. Eagles (10-2)
2. 49ers (9-3)
3. Lions (9-3)
4. Falcons (6-6)
5. Cowboys (9-3)
6. Vikings (6-6)
7. Packers (6-6)
8. Rams (6-6)
9. Seahawks (6-6)
Thanks to their win on Sunday though, the 49ers have the all-important head-to-head tiebreaker on Philadelphia. That could be significant given the Eagles’ schedule down the stretch. They have the Cowboys, Seahawks, Giants twice and the Cardinals in the final five weeks. Barring something dramatic, there aren’t a ton of losses in that stretch for a team as good as Philly.
Having that head-to-head tiebreaker could wind up deciding the No. 1 overall seed for the 49ers.
All of this goes out the window if the Lions win out though since that could put a three-way tie on the table and the head-to-head goes by the wayside since all the teams didn’t face each other.
Step 1 for the 49ers is winning the rest of their games. That may be the only way for them to stay in the conversation atop the conference. Tiebreakers can get tackled once the dust of the regular season settles.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]