It's weird to think a third-place team has a legitimate shot at the top seed in the conference this late in the regular season, but that's precisely where the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers find themselves entering Week 16.
Still trailing both the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks by a game within the division, both with 11-3 records, the Niners nevertheless find themselves in the No. 6 seed in the greater NFC playoff picture, which is as follows (teams in bold are currently seeded for postseason play):
- Los Angeles Rams (11-3, 1st NFC West)
- Chicago Bears (10-4, 1st NFC North)
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-5, 1st NFC East)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7, 1st NFC South)
- Seattle Seahawks (11-3, 2nd NFC West)
- San Francisco 49ers (10-4, 3rd NFC West)
- Green Bay Packers (9-4-1, 2nd NFC North)
- Detroit Lions (8-6, 3rd NFC North)
- Carolina Panthers (7-7, 2nd NFC South)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1, 2nd NFC East)
Needless to say, the NFC West is stacked, and one could argue the entire conference is set up for a wild finish over the final three weeks.