49ers playoff picture: Scenarios, chances for San Francisco to win NFC West
- - 49ers playoff picture: Scenarios, chances for San Francisco to win NFC West
Jacob Camenker, USA TODAY December 28, 2025 at 5:53 PM
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49ers playoff picture: Scenarios, chances for San Francisco to win NFC West
The San Francisco 49ers have already clinched a spot in the NFC playoffs, but they will be taking aim at a larger goal over the season's final two weeks.
The 49ers have an outside chance to win the NFC West. They are in a tight, three-horse battle for the divisional crown along with the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, a fight in which the Seahawks presently hold an edge.
The 49ers will need to beat the Chicago Bears in Week 17 to keep their division title hopes alive and create an exciting battle between themselves and the Seahawks in the season's final week.
Here's a breakdown of the 49ers' playoff picture and how they could potentially emerge as the NFC West winner for the third time in four seasons.
makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fo8okmfdHRvDHl_AjAyGtw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/ece3b009de0e7aba961c9dfc2585f6aa class=caas-img data-headline="Best images of the 2025 NFL season" data-caption="
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
">Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fo8okmfdHRvDHl_AjAyGtw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/ece3b009de0e7aba961c9dfc2585f6aa class=caas-img>
1 / 4Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
49ers playoff chances
The 49ers clinched a playoff berth in Week 16 thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers' win over the Detroit Lions. San Francisco was still able to win its "Monday Night Football" game against the Indianapolis Colts, allowing Kyle Shanahan's squad to remain in the NFC West race down the stretch of the season.
49ers playoff scenarios
The 49ers will either win the NFC West or earn a wild-card berth. Here's a look at what it will take for San Francisco to win its division in 2025:
49ers win final two games against Bears and Seahawks
If the 49ers can beat the Bears on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 17, it will set up a battle between San Francisco and Seattle in Week 18, with the winner earning the NFC West title and the NFC's No. 1 overall seed.
A loss (or tie) against the Bears would eliminate the 49ers from the NFC West battle and relegate them to being either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff race.
NFC West standings
The 49ers are currently in second place in the NFC West standings. Below is a look at the pecking order within the division:
Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
Arizona Cardinals (3-13)
The Seahawks have already won their Week 17 game against the Carolina Panthers. That put Mike Macdonald's squad a game-and-a-half ahead of the 49ers and Rams, who are playing on "Sunday Night Football" and "Monday Night Football" this week respectively.
The 49ers hold tiebreaker advantages over the Seahawks and Rams. San Francisco beat Seattle head-to-head in Week 1 and will play the Seahawks again in Week 18 with a potential division title on the line.
Meanwhile, San Francisco's 4-1 divisional record is better than Los Angeles' mark of 3-2. That will give the 49ers a slight edge over the Rams as they jockey for positioning behind the Seahawks.
49ers remaining schedule
The 49ers have one of the toughest remaining schedules league-wide, as both of their remaining games are against playoff teams. Below is a look at their full schedule:
Week 17: vs. Chicago Bears (11-4)
Week 18: vs. Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Seahawks remaining schedule
The Seahawks just have one game left on their schedule after winning their Week 17 game against the Panthers. Below is a look at their remaining matchup:
Week 18: at San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
Rams remaining schedule
The Rams have the easiest remaining schedule of the bunch, as their final two opponents have combined for just nine wins. Here's a look at Los Angeles' remaining schedule:
Week 17: at Atlanta Falcons (6-9)
Week 18: vs. Arizona Cardinals (3-13)
NFL playoff picture
Here's how the AFC and NFC stack up for Week 17:
AFC -
Denver Broncos (13-3, AFC West winners)*
New England Patriots (13-3, AFC East leaders)*
Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4, AFC South leaders)*
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7, AFC North leaders)
Buffalo Bills (11-4, wild card No. 1)*
Houston Texans (11-5, wild card No. 2)*
Los Angeles Chargers (11-5, wild card No. 3)*
In the hunt: Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
NFC -
Seattle Seahawks (13-3, NFC West leaders)*
Chicago Bears (11-4, NFC North winners)*
Philadelphia Eagles (10-5, NFC East winners)*
Carolina Panthers (8-8, NFC South leaders)
San Francisco 49ers (11-4, wild card No. 1)*
Los Angeles Rams (11-4, wild card No. 2)*
Green Bay Packers (9-6-1, wild card No. 3)*
In the hunt: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8)
An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have clinched division titles are noted accordingly.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 49ers playoff chances: Scenarios, NFC West odds for San Francisco
Source: “AOL Sports”
