NFC playoff picture: 49ers move into top seed in conference

As the NFL season reaches the stretch run, all of the attention shifts to which teams still in the playoff picture, which will fluctuate week to week.

The San Francisco 49ers have vaulted into position to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs after the Dallas Cowboys’ romp of the Philadelphia Eagles on “Sunday Night Football.” The Detroit Lions’ stunning loss to the Chicago Bears drops damages their home-field hopes.

Here’s where the NFC playoff picture stands after Week 14:

From NFL plays to college sports scores, all the top sports news you need to know every day.

1. San Francisco 49ers (10-3), NFC West leaders: With wins in hand against the Eagles and Cowboys, the Niners move into the top seed following Dallas’ defeat of Philadelphia on Sunday night. After completing a season sweep of Seattle, San Francisco just needs Green Bay to lose Monday night to officially sew up a playoff berth. Remaining schedule: at Cardinals, vs. Ravens, at Commanders, vs. Rams

49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel waves goodbye to Eagles fans after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Dec. 3, 2023.

2. Dallas Cowboys (10-3), NFC East leaders: With a 15th consecutive home win, they wrested first place from Philadelphia on Sunday night. However, “America’s Team” will give it back if the Eagles win out given the tiebreakers will revert to their favor given how the schedule unfolds − and Dallas’ remaining games are no cakewalk. Remaining schedule: at Bills, at Dolphins, vs. Lions, at Commanders

3. Detroit Lions (9-4), NFC North leaders: Sunday’s loss in Chicago probably won’t haunt them in terms of winning the division, but any hopes of quietly snagging the conference’s No. 1 seed are quickly slipping away after a second loss in the past three games. Remaining schedule: vs. Broncos, at Vikings, at Cowboys, vs. Vikings

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7), NFC South leaders: Sunday’s win at Atlanta vaults the Bucs to the top of the division thanks to a very slim lead over the Falcons in the common games tiebreaker given their season split and identical 3-1 mark in NFC South games. Still hardly time to relax given both Atlanta and New Orleans are also 6-7. Remaining schedule: at Packers, vs. Jaguars, vs. Saints, at Panthers

5. Philadelphia Eagles (10-3), wild card No. 1: Sunday night’s loss at Dallas knocked them from first place in the conference to fifth. However win out, against a very manageable schedule, and the reigning NFC champs will again be kings of the NFC East. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, vs. Giants, vs. Cardinals, at Giants

6. Minnesota Vikings (7-6), wild card No. 2: Winning 3-0 is still a win and strengthened the Vikes’ prospects on a day when the Rams and Seahawks lost. Minnesota could also still make a run at the NFC North given both dates with Detroit are ahead. Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Lions, vs. Packers, at Lions

7. Green Bay Packers (6-6), wild card No. 3: They play Monday night and could also create some breathing room while navigating the league’s easiest remaining schedule entering Week 14. Remaining schedule: at Giants, vs. Buccaneers, at Panthers, at Vikings, vs. Bears

8. Los Angeles Rams (6-7), out of playoff field:Heartbreaking loss in Baltimore on Sunday, but they’re still knocking the door …. though the Week 9 loss at Green Bay without QB Matthew Stafford could ultimately hurt quite a bit. Remaining schedule: vs. Commanders, vs. Saints, at Giants, at 49ers

9. Seattle Seahawks (6-7), out of playoff field: That’s five defeats in their past six outings, Sunday’s loss at San Francisco coming with QB1 Geno Smith unable to play. Dropping both games to the Rams could be a lingering issue. And they’re only ahead of Atlanta by virtue of a very slim lead in NFC games, Seattle’s 5-5 mark a half-game better. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, at Titans, vs. Steelers, at Cardinals

10. Atlanta Falcons (6-7), out of playoff field: They plummeted from fourth in the conference Sunday after losing at home to the Bucs. But the NFC South remains eminently winnable. Remaining schedule: at Panthers, vs. Colts, at Bears, at Saints

11. New Orleans Saints (6-7), out of playoff field: They didn’t make up any ground Sunday despite blowing out the Panthers. But the NFC South remains eminently winnable. Remaining schedule: vs. Giants, at Rams, at Buccaneers, vs. Falcons

USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis contributed to this report. You can follow on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFC playoff picture: 49ers move into top seed in conference