The 49ers are in the driver's seat to secure the top seed in the NFC and a first round bye, and they have their two biggest rivals to thank for it.
Now that the Cowboys and Seahawks have beaten the Eagles in consecutive weeks, the 49ers have a one game cushion atop the NFC playoff standings. And when you dig into the tie breakers, it's even bigger than that.
Simply put, the 49ers only need to win two out of their final three games this season to secure a first round bye and clinch home field advantage in the playoffs. Even if Dallas, Philadelphia, and/or Detroit win out, they still won't be able to leapfrog the Niners at 13-4.
The first tiebreaker is head to head victories, and dominant wins over the Cowboys and Eagles give take care of both of those teams.
Since the Niners don't play the Lions this year, we have to use the next tiebreaker, which is conference record. A 2-1 mark the rest of the way would make San Francisco 10-2 in the NFC, one game better what the Lions could do, even if they won out.
For as long as the 49ers have talked about getting the number one seed and the bye this season, it's now within their grasp. At this point, there's no excuse for failing to be the number one team in the National Football Conference when it's all said and done.
This is, by definition, what it means to be in control of your own destiny. Just play and win. That's all you gotta do.