Through Philadelphia is the NFC. On Thanksgiving Day, the top three competitors displayed their current standings.
Detroit retreated a step. Dallas ate up a losing team once again. Once again, San Francisco was impressive. Although the Eagles are firmly in control of the top seed, things could get closer in the closing stages.
The 49ers (8-3) defeated Seattle 31-13 on Thursday night to set up a rematch of the NFC championship against Philadelphia (9-1).
While the defense was outstanding, Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and the rest of San Francisco’s explosive offense amassed 377 yards.
After dropping three straight games, the 49ers have now won three in a row. Before injuries to All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams and star wide receiver Deebo Samuel contributed to the losing streak, they crushed Dallas 42-10. With a 34-3 victory, they started their most recent winning run.
After trailing 24-3 in the first half, the Seahawks (6-5) had a chance to take the lead in the NFC West, but they were unable to compete with the 49ers. They closed the gap to 24–13, but San Francisco’s defense grew more rigid.
In the event that the Eagles fall short of Buffalo (6-5) at home on Sunday, their next game against the 49ers would be for the conference championship.
Since the 49ers are the most complete team, they are Philadelphia’s primary rival. In the first quarter of their 31-7 loss in the NFC title game, Purdy went down with an elbow injury. To have a chance this time, they’ll need him to be at the top of his game. Although Purdy has only thrown six interceptions in his career and eighteen touchdown passes, he is known for his risky throws, one of which Seattle returned for a touchdown.
The 49ers play Seattle once more, Arizona (2-9), Baltimore (8-3) and Washington (4-7), following the Eagles.
The Cowboys (8-3) won their seventh game by at least 23 points, crushing the Commanders 45-10. Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes in yet another fantastic performance. With his fifth pick-6 of the season, DaRon Bland broke the NFL record, and Micah Parsons added one and a half sacks to his total.
“Obviously, we feel good about what we´ve got,” Prescott said. “We feel good about the players that we have, the plays that we´re gonna call, the matchup, the film study we´ve had, the preparation, the game plan. Credit these coaches week in and week out. They´re dialing up things and putting playmakers in their best position, and, yeah, it´s confidence. Simple as that.”
However, Dallas’s strength of schedule is a drawback. The Cowboys have yet to defeat a team with a winning record. They were humiliated by San Francisco, defeated by their own team in a Week 9 setback to Philadelphia (28–23), and fell short against the appalling Cardinals in September.
It will be difficult for Dallas to pass Philadelphia. The following five games for the Cowboys will be against 36-17 teams.
The Lions (8-3) trailed Philadelphia by the end of the first game of the day and appeared capable of losing at home in a playoff match to prolong the NFL’s longest winless streak in the postseason.
They lost to the Green Bay Packers 29–22 after being outplayed the entire game. Detroit played even worse than when it had to come from behind to defeat the lowly Bears four days earlier. After throwing three picks in the game against Chicago, Jared Goff fumbled three times, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
The defense’s inability to stop Jordan Love, who tied a career-high with three touchdown passes, is the Lions’ biggest problem.
Still, Detroit benefits from the schedule. Over the next three games, the Lions play New Orleans (5-5), Chicago (3-8) and Denver (5-5).
“We just have to get back to what we do, play with a little rhythm,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “This isn´t something to where I want to get in a panic mode.”
Of the 66 No. 1 seeds that have advanced to the Super Bowl since 1990, fifteen have won it. Since the playoff format was extended to 14 teams in 2020, only one team from each conference receives a bye, making the top seed even more significant.
The 49ers and Cowboys demonstrated they are not far behind the Eagles, who head into the weekend in a comfortable position.