San Francisco (United States) (AFP) – San Francisco will try to secure a home-field playoff edge into the Super Bowl as two top seeds and two playoff berths will be decided on the final weekend of the NFL campaign. Since clubs began pre-season camps last July, their goal has been to capture a playoff spot and a chance to play in next month’s NFL championship spectacle at the 49ers’ home venue, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
San Francisco (12-4) plays host to Seattle (13-3) on Saturday with the winner capturing the NFC top seed, a first-round playoff bye, and home-field advantage throughout the post-season. “It’s a big moment,” Seattle defensive tackle Jarran Reed said. “Everything’s on the line right now and we know that.” Beating the Seahawks means the 49ers would be only two home playoff triumphs from playing in the Super Bowl on their home field.
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“Everyone’s goal is to win a Super Bowl and in order to do that I would say it’s easier to win three games than four games,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “You’d always rather play at home, no doubt about it. That’s our goal. If that doesn’t work out, we’re excited to go on the road too.” The 49ers won 17-13 at Seattle in September on the opening week of the season so each club will have plenty of film to review about the other.
“You always look at it, but our teams are pretty similar from the beginning of the year to now,” Shanahan said. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald says his team will focus on executing plays and keeping poise under pressure. “We got here by our mentality on how we approach every day. That’s just how we’re going to roll,” he said. “It’s just worry about the stuff we can control.”
It’s more than just another game for the Seahawks, even if that’s how they try to approach it. “It’s hard to do if that’s not how you’ve taken the approach throughout the year,” Searle receiver Cooper Kupp said, “But we’ve talked every week here about our process… makes it easy to just say this is just another game.” Reed, however, made it clear the Seahawks aren’t taking the 49ers lightly. “We know what’s at stake and we know who we’re playing. We’re not shying away from that,” he said. “We know what we got to go out there and do Saturday night.”
The AFC playoff top seed will be determined on Sunday with Denver (13-3) taking the spot with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5). Should the Broncos lose, the door is open for the New England Patriots, who would then have to beat Miami (7-9) to swipe the top seed. If Denver and New England are both beaten, the Jacksonville Jaguars would capture the top seed with a victory over Tennessee (3-13).
– Last berths at stake – The last playoff berth in each conference is up for grabs also with the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) at Pittsburgh (9-7) and the winner seizing the final AFC playoff berth and the AFC North division title for a fourth seeding and first-round home game. It’s slightly more complicated in the NFC, where Carolina (8-8) will visit Tampa Bay (7-9) on Saturday in the pivotal contest to decide the NFC South crown and a playoff spot.
Carolina clinches the playoff berth with a victory while the Buccaneers will not necessarily claim the post-season spot with a triumph. Tampa Bay would also need Atlanta (7-9) to lose or draw at home against New Orleans (6-10) on Sunday. Wins by Tampa Bay and Atlanta would create a three-team logjam at 8-9 that would be decided by a head-to-head results tie-breaker — which would send Carolina into the playoffs even with a defeat.
Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, the Los Angeles Rams, reigning champion Philadelphia, and Green Bay have taken NFC playoff spots. AFC post-season qualifiers include New England, Buffalo, Denver, Jacksonville, Houston, and the Chargers.
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