It’s fair to assume that no Seattle Seahawks touchdown has been celebrated as much in the Bay Area as Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 29-yard reception against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.
The Seahawks rookie receiver’s superb catch from Drew Lock gave the Seahawks a stunning 20-17 win over Philadelphia that not only kept their playoff hopes alive, but also substantially strengthened the 49ers’ grip on the one seed in the NFC.
With the Eagles dropping to 10-4, the 49ers (11-3) now have a one game lead on Philadelphia and the Dallas Cowboys. Holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over both, the Niners essentially have a two-game lead.
The Detroit Lions are also 10-4, but the Niners hold a clear lead over Detroit in the conference record tiebreaker. San Francisco also holds the tiebreakers in strength of schedule and strength of victory.
Thanks to Seattle’s win, the 49ers have crucial breathing room in the one seed race, meaning they can afford a loss on Christmas Day against the Baltimore Ravens, the AFC’s one seed exiting Week 15, and still be in command at the top of the conference.
San Francisco will hope not to need that breathing room and, though the Niners can theoretically now clinch the one seed with victory over the Ravens if they get unexpected additional help, the more likely outcome is that they wrap it up on New Year’s Eve by following up a win against Baltimore with a road triumph over the Washington Commanders.
With the Cowboys facing the Lions in Week 17, the 49ers will clinch the one seed by winning their next two games even if Dallas and the Eagles do the same.
Having secured a second straight NFC West title on Sunday, the Niners have one regular-season goal remaining, to clinch the top seed, and a first-round bye and homefield advantage as a result.
After a massive assist from the Seahawks, they are within touching distance of doing so.
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