The 49ers took care of business Saturday with a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders at Levi's Stadium.
With their eighth consecutive win, the 49ers (11-4) kept pace with the Minnesota Vikings (12-3) for the NFC's No. 2 playoff seed and closed the gap on the 13-2 Philadelphia Eagles for the top seed.
The Vikings beat the New York Giants on a last-season field goal, and the Eagles, without MVP candidate Jalen Hurts, lost to the Dallas Cowboys.
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At the bottom of the NFC playoff 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. So, if the NFC playoffs began next week, the 49ers still would host the No. 6-seeded Giants in the wild-card round.
The 49ers have two regular-season games left to try and catch the Vikings and the Eagles. San Francisco visits the Las Vegas Raiders (6-9) on New Year's Day and then comes home to meet the Arizona Cardinals (4-11) on either Saturday, Jan. 7 or Sunday, Jan. 8.
Here's how the NFC and AFC playoff standings look after Week 16 action:
NFC playoff standings
San Francisco 49ers
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: 7-8
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
***
13. Los Angeles Rams: 5-10 (Eliminated)
14. Atlanta Falcons: 5-10 (Eliminated)
15. Arizona Cardinals: 4-11 (Eliminated)
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: 9-6 (Clinched playoff berth)
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
***
13. Cleveland Browns: 6-9 (Eliminated)
14. Indianapolis Colts: 4-10-1 (Eliminated)
15. Denver Broncos: 4-11 (Eliminated)
16. Houston Texans: 2-12-1 (Eliminated)