(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
We now know how Sunday’s prime-time matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks will affect playoff seeding in the NFC no matter the result.
After wins from both the Packers and Saints, a win by the 49ers Sunday night would net them the first overall seed, and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Seahawks would fall to the fifth seed.
A 49ers loss would see them fall to the fifth seed, the Seahawks would net the three seed, with the Packers and Saints would get first-round byes at both 13-3.
Because they enter Sunday’s tilt with a better record, a tie would see the 49ers win the NFC West but land in the three seed, meaning they’d have to host a playoff game vs. the Minnesota Vikings next weekend. That result would also land the Seahawks the fifth seed. No matter what happens on Sunday, the Seahawks cannot earn a first-round bye, as their best possible record (12-4) falls a game short of both New Orleans and Green Bay.
The 49ers enter Sunday’s game as three point favorites, the first time they’ve been favored in Seattle since 2011.
