The 49ers’ win over the Seahawks put the pressure on the Vikings in the NFC Playoff picture but gave the Giants and Commanders cushion.
Most of this year’s Thursday Night Football matchups have been duds. That’s largely because teams playing on TNF have left their offenses at home. Ugly football reigned.
This week’s Thursday Night Football game between the 49ers and Seahawks looked like potentially the first good matchup.
It wasn’t a particularly good game in the end, but San Francisco proved that you can score points on Thursday night. You can do it in entertaining ways too! At least in the first three quarters…
The result was a 21-13 victory for Brock Purdy and company, clinching the NFC West and giving them a chance to push for the No. 2 spot in the NFC standings.
Updated NFC West standings after Thursday Night Football
- San Francisco 49ers (10-4, 5-0)
- Seattle Seahawks (7-7, 3-2)
- Arizona Cardinals (4-9, 1-4)
- Los Angeles Rams (4-9, 1-4)
The NFC West standings weren’t going to change if the Seahawks had pulled off a victory but the chance of Seattle sneaking in to steal away the division would have remained.
Instead, the 49ers became the first team in the NFL to clinch their division.
As for the overall NFC standings, here’s how they look:
Updated NFC Playoff picture, Wild Card standings
- Philadelphia Eagles (12-1)
- Minnesota Vikings (10-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)
- Dallas Cowboys (10-3)
- Washington Commanders (7-5-1)
- New York Giants (7-5-1)
Left out:
- Seattle Seahawks (7-7)
- Detroit Lions (6-7)
The 49ers still need some help from the Vikings, who take on the Colts on Saturday then have dates with the Giants, Packers and Bears to finish the season. The No. 2 seed is still very much up for grabs though. The road for San Francisco is considerably easier with the Commanders, Raiders and Cardinals coming up.
As for the Seahawks, their playoff hopes took a blow with the loss dropping them to 7-7 and taking their own destiny out of their hands. However, they’re not out of it.
One of the Commanders or Giants will take a loss (or another tie) on Sunday night. Then, Washington has a road trip to face the 49ers before games against the Browns and Cowboys.
The Giants still have to face the Vikings, Colts and Eagles to finish their season.
The trouble for Seattle? A trip to Arrowhead to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, then games against the Jets and Rams.