Where 49ers sit in NFC playoff race after beating Commanders originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers took care of business with a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium.
With their eighth straight win, the 49ers kept pace with the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 2 seed and closed the gap on the Philadelphia Eagles for the top seed.
The Vikings beat the New York Giants on a last-season field goal, while the Eagles, without MVP candidate Jalen Hurts, lost to the Dallas Cowboys.
At the bottom of the NFC standings, the New York Giants, Commanders, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions all lost, meaning nothing changed in the race for the three wild-card spots.
If the NFC playoffs began next week, the 49ers still would face the No. 6-seeded Giants in the wild-card round.
The 49ers have two regular-season games remaining to try and catch the Vikings and the Eagles. San Francisco plays at the Las Vegas Raiders on New Years Day and concludes the season at home against the Arizona Cardinals on either Saturday, Jan. 7 or Sunday, Jan. 8.
Here’s how the NFC and AFC standings look after the Week 16 Saturday action:
NFC standings
1. Philadelphia Eagles — 13-2 (Clinched playoff berth)
2. Minnesota Vikings — 12-3 (Clinched NFC North)
3. San Francisco 49ers — 11-4 (Clinched NFC West)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 6-8 (Plays Sunday)
5. Dallas Cowboys — 11-4 (Clinched playoff berth)
6. New York Giants — 8-6-1
7. Washington Commanders — 7-7-1
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8. Seattle Seahawks — 7-8
9. Detroit Lions — 7-8
10. Green Bay Packers — 7-8
11. Carolina Panthers — 6-9
12. New Orleans Saints — 6-9
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13. Los Angeles Rams — 5-10 (Eliminated)
14. Atlanta Falcons — 5-10 (Eliminated)
15. Arizona Cardinals — 4-10 (Eliminated — Plays Sunday)
16. Chicago Bears — 3-12 (Eliminated)
AFC standings
1. Buffalo Bills — 12-3 (Clinched AFC East)
2. Kansas City Chiefs — 12-3 (Clinched AFC West)
3. Cincinnati Bengals — 11-4 (Clinched playoff berth)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars — 7-8
5. Baltimore Ravens — 10-5 (Clinched playoff berth)
6. Los Angeles Chargers — 8-6 (Plays Monday night)
7. Miami Dolphins — 8-7
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8. New England Patriots — 7-8
9. New York Jets — 7-8
10. Tennessee Titans — 7-8
11. Pittsburgh Steelers — 7-8
12. Las Vegas Raiders — 6-9
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13. Cleveland Browns — 6-9 (Eliminated)
14. Indianapolis Colts — 4-9-1 (Eliminated — Plays Monday night)
15. Denver Broncos — 4-11 (Eliminated)
16. Houston Texans — 2-12-1 (Eliminated)