Will the road to Super Bowl 57 go through San Francisco again in the NFC? The 49ers are still alive for their second No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs in four years going into Week 18.
The 49ers finished with the NFC's best record as NFC West champions in 2019. They used that bye and home-field advantage to advance all the way to Super Bowl 54 against the Chiefs.
Going into the finale of the 2022 NFL regular season, the 49ers (12-4) are No. 2 in the NFC. The Eagles (13-3) are still No. 1, while the Vikings (12-4) fell to No. 3.
San Francisco is in a strong position because of a 9-2 conference record. Philadelphia and Dallas (12-4) already have three losses in NFC play, while Minnesota has four.
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How the 49ers earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs
The 49ers first need to beat the Cardinals for a second time, at home, for their 10th consecutive victory overall. That would improve their record to 13-4.
Then the Eagles would need to lose to the Giants at home to fall to 13-4. The Eagles could still win the NFC East with a Cowboys loss, but if the Cowboys have the same 13-4 record, the Cowboys would win the division. The Vikings could also get to 13-4 with a win over the Bears in Chicago.
The 49ers somehow didn't play the Eagles, Cowboys or Vikings all season, so whether they tie one or more of those teams at 13-4. they would win the conference record tiebreaker with a 10-2 mark after beating Arizona.
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The 49ers got the needed help from the Vikings losing. They just need the Eagles to have one final misstep to complete an improbable second half run to the top seed.
