The San Francisco 49ers have secured their spot in the 2012 NFL playoffs, although their seeding and potential opponent is yet to be determined. Assuming a late-season collapse is not in the cards, the 49ers will likely be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NFC. With the Saints nipping right at their heels, a first round bye is hardly a sure thing at this point in the season.
The Falcons came away with a big victory on Thursday night football, improving their record to 9-5. Atlanta is now in the driver's seat for a wild card bid and will likely be the No. 5 seed. Among the teams battling for the sixth and final seed, the Cowboys, Giants, Lions and Bears are all in the hunt. Between Dallas and New York one of those teams will claim the No. 4 seed for winning the NFC East, which essentially leaves three teams fighting for one spot.
In week 15, the Lions will face the Raiders in Oakland, the Bears will host the Seahawks, the Cowboys will head to Tampa Bay and the Giants get the Redskins at home.
Simply put, the 49ers just needs to take care of business in the final three weeks of the season. Should the team have to face the Saints in the divisional round, they do not want to play at the Super Dome in New Orleans.
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