The San Francisco 49ers sit at the bottom of the NFL at 2-9, and with the same record as the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. The three teams are strong contenders for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but Week 13 also marks the first time any of them can be mathematically eliminated from the NFL playoff picture. They join the Giants, Jaguars, and Jets a teams that can be eliminated from playoff contention this week.
For the 49ers, Cardinals, Raiders, and Jaguars, playoff contention officially ends with a loss or a tie and various other teams winning. For the 49ers, that means a tie and then one of the following 1) a Panthers win, OR 2) Washington and Dallas wins. The Giants and Jets require some other teams losing as well to eliminate them.
The 49ers will not make the playoffs this season, but technically they still COULD make the playoffs. The problem of course is this weekend when they travel to face the Seahawks. San Francisco is a ten-point underdog, and hasn’t won at CenturyLink Field since 2011. Odds are not in their favor, and more than likely we will be looking at their formal elimination from the playoff race on Sunday.
But in the meantime....