The 49ers can move up in the playoff standings for the third week in a row.
This time, there’s a chance to secure the top seed in the NFC playoffs. In Week 16, the 49ers will need to win against the Ravens in addition to the Eagles, Cowboys, and Lions suffering losses. If that occurs, the 49ers will have the last two weeks of the season to themselves.
The 49ers have a slim chance of winning all four of their games, though. And perhaps that’s for the best. For the 49ers, securing the NFC’s top seed in Week 16 would not be ideal. The 49ers will have little to nothing to play for if they lock up that slot immediately the final two games of the season.
In addition, they will not play important football for three weeks in a row due to a bye in the first round of the playoffs. It just seems a little premature to lock up the top seed at this point. And that may make it far more likely that they will let up on the gas pedal. The 49ers did that after overwhelming the Cowboys in Week 5 the last time they did it. What took place subsequent to that?
They went on to lose their only three games of the season so far in consecutive fashion. Now, the 49ers did prove they can wake themselves up and get back on track, but they are already riding some phenomenal momentum since their Bye week. Why ruin that? Really, I don’t see any team in the NFL that can put the 49ers down. Their true opponent is themselves, so by clinching the No. 1 seed now, it could lighten their focus and make it tough to get back there.
If the 49ers let up at the end of the season, it may lead to a lazy mindset. It’s possible that they are not as focused as they have been in the past month. For this reason, they might be better suited sealing the deal in the season finale or the next week. Who knows, though? They might end up winning it this week and go straight to the Divisional round of the playoffs.
Leave a Reply