The San Francisco 49ers looked vulnerable Monday night for the first time in months, and the path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs is open for the Detroit Lions.
The 49ers remain in control of the top seed and homefield advantage on the NFC side of the bracket after their turnover-riddled Monday night loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the new No. 1 team in my NFL power rankings.
If the 49ers win out – they visit the lowly Washington Commanders this week and close the regular season with a home game against the Los Angeles Rams – they will get a first-round bye and the road to the Super Bowl will run through Levi’s Stadium.
But the Lions can earn the No. 1 seed if they win their remaining two regular season games and the 49ers lose once in the final two weeks. The Lions visit the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night and close the regular season at home against the Minnesota Vikings. They’re currently tied atop the NFC with the 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles with 11-4 records.
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The Lions locked up their first division title in 30 years and a top-three seed in the playoffs by beating the Vikings on Christmas Eve, but Saturday’s game in Dallas looms large for seeding.
The 49ers own all tiebreakers in the NFC based on conference record (9-1), and the Eagles control the two seed ahead of the Lions. But if the Lions beat the Cowboys and Vikings, they’ll pass the Eagles in the standings based on the common opponents tiebreaker.
After Saturday, the Lions and Eagles will have played five common opponents: The Cowboys, Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, and Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles’ record in games against those teams is 4-2, with losses to the Cowboys and Seahawks. The Lions’ record in games against those teams is 3-1, with a chance to go 5-1 with two more victories.
The Cowboys (10-5) technically remain in the hunt for the NFC East title and No. 2 seed in the playoffs, and if the Lions and Eagles both lose once in the final two weeks things become convoluted in the tie-breaking process.
For now, though, the Lions control their own path to the No. 2 seed and can climb as high as No. 1 with a little bit of help.
Onto this week’s power rankings:
1. Baltimore Ravens (12-3)
2. San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
3. Miami Dolphins (11-4)
4. Philadelphia Eagles (11-4)
5. Detroit Lions (11-4)
6. Dallas Cowboys (10-5)
7. Buffalo Bills (9-6)
8. Kansas City Chiefs (9-6)
9. Cleveland Browns (10-5)
10. Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
11. Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
12. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7)
13. Houston Texans (8-7)
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
15. Indianapolis Colts (8-7)
16. Cincinnati Bengals (8-7)
17. Las Vegas Raiders (7-8)
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7)
19. Minnesota Vikings (7-8)
20. Chicago Bears (6-9)
21. New Orleans Saints (7-8)
22. Green Bay Packers (7-8)
23. Denver Broncos (7-8)
24. Atlanta Falcons (7-8)
25. New York Jets (6-9)
26. Los Angeles Chargers (5-10)
27. Tennessee Titans (5-10)
28. New York Giants (5-10)
29. Washington Commanders (4-11)
30. New England Patriots (4-11)
31. Arizona Cardinals (3-12)
32. Carolina Panthers (2-13)
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.