How the 49ers Can Clinch a First Round Bye

The 49ers merely have to win two of their next three games to secure a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. And that gives the 49ers options.

The 49ers can lose one of their final three games and still clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs. That's how good they have it.

The 49ers have a one-game lead over the Cowboys and Lions for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. And the 49ers own the tiebreaker over both teams as well, so if they all finish with the same record, the 49ers still would earn the No. 1 seed.

That means the 49ers merely have to win two of their next three games to secure a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. And that gives the 49ers options.

The 49ers could go all out to win their next two games against the Ravens and the Commanders, then sit their starters for Week 18 against the Rams and essentially give their team two weeks off to rest and prepare for the divisional round of the playoffs.

But the 49ers might not want back to back weeks to rest and possibly get rusty. They might want to stay sharp. In that case, the 49ers could rest all their injured players this week against the Ravens, lose to Baltimore, then win the final two games and still clinch the No. 1 seed.

Clearly the 49ers wouldn't lose to Baltimore on purpose. But technically, it's not a must-win game, and the Ravens are an AFC team. Plus the 49ers owe it to themselves to be as healthy as possible when the playoffs start. Rushing injured players back for a regular season game against the Ravens might not be wise.

Let's see how the 49ers manage their final three games.