San Francisco will try to secure home playoff advantage heading into the Super Bowl as the two top seeds and two playoff berths will be decided on the final weekend of the NFL season.
Since the clubs began preseason training last July, their goal has been to secure a playoff berth and a chance to compete in next month’s NFL championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home of the 49ers.
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San Francisco (12-4) hosts Seattle (13-3) on Saturday, with the winner receiving the NFC’s top seed, a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
“This is a big moment,” Seattle defensive tackle Jarran Reed said. “Everything is at stake right now, and we know that.”
Defeating the Seahawks means the 49ers have just two home playoff victories in a Super Bowl.
“Everybody’s goal is to win a Super Bowl, and in order to do that, I would say it’s easier to win three games than it is to win four games,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
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“There’s no doubt you’d always rather play at home. That’s our goal. If that doesn’t work, we’re happy to go on the road.”
The 49ers won 17-13 in Seattle in the first week of the season in September, so both clubs will have plenty of film of the other to look back on.
“You always see that, but our team has been very similar from the beginning of the year to now,” Shanahan said.
Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald said his team will focus on executing plays and staying calm under pressure.
“We got here through a daily mentality. That’s how we move forward,” he said. “It’s just about worrying about things we can control.”
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This isn’t just another game for the Seahawks, even if they try to be.
Says Sale receiver Cooper Kupp: “If you haven’t had this approach all year, it’s hard to do it. But we talk about our process here every week… It’s easy to say this is just another game.”
However, Reid made it clear that the Seahawks will not take the 49ers lightly.
“We know what’s at stake, we know who we’re playing. We’re not going to shy away from that,” he said. “We know what we have to go out and do on Saturday night.”
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The top seed in the AFC playoffs will be determined on Sunday, with the Denver Nuggets (13-3) advancing over the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5).
If the Broncos lose, the door will be open for the New England Patriots, who must beat Miami (7-9) to claim the top seed.
If both Denver and New England are defeated, the Jacksonville Jaguars will earn the top seed by beating Tennessee (3-13).
– Last berth at risk –
Each conference’s final playoff spot is also up for grabs, with the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) winning at Pittsburgh (9-7) giving the winner the final AFC playoff spot and AFC North title, a fourth seed and a first-round home game.
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The situation in the NFC is a little more complicated. Carolina (8-8) will visit Tampa Bay (7-9) on Saturday in a key game that will determine the NFC South championship and playoff spot.
Carolina clinched a playoff berth with a win, while the Buccaneers didn’t necessarily clinch a playoff berth with a win.
Tampa Bay also needs Atlanta (7-9) to lose at home to New Orleans (6-10) on Sunday.
Victories for Tampa Bay and Atlanta would result in an 8-9 stalemate between the three teams that would be decided by a tiebreaker, which would allow Carolina to make the playoffs even if it loses.
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Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, the Los Angeles Rams, defending champion Philadelphia and Green Bay already occupy NFC playoff spots.
The AFC playoff qualifiers include New England, Buffalo, Denver, Jacksonville, Houston and Chargers.
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