The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in dominating fashion, 41-23. Now, they will look ahead to the Divisional Round. With the 49ers being the first team to advance in the playoff bracket, who could they possibly play next week? As the No. 2 seed, what are the potential Divisional Round scenarios for the team?
San Francisco 49ers Divisional Round Opponents and Scenarios
As mentioned above, the 49ers came into the NFL playoffs as the second seed in the NFC with a 13-4 record and the NFC West crown. With their victory in the Wild Card round, they will now head to the Divisional Round. Before they know who they will face next week, they need to wait for the rest of the NFC teams to play.
However, one thing we already know is that no matter who wins, as the second seed, the 49ers will be at home. Let’s take a look at which opponents and possible scenarios await rookie QB Brock Purdy and the 49ers.
Scenario No. 1: Giants Defeat the Vikings
Update: The Giants pulled off the improbable and went into Minnesota to defeat the Vikings. This means that the 49ers will in fact play the winner of the Buccaneers and Cowboys.
The first 49ers scenario to consider would be if the No. 6 seed New York Giants upset the No. 3 seed Minnesota Vikings. Considering the Giants are currently a field goal underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook, this is the situation that is less likely.
However, in PFN’s Chief Strategy Officer Brett Yarris’ Giants vs. Vikings betting preview, his model predicted that the Giants would, in fact, upset Minnesota.
“The Giants, on average, allow opponents to have the ball on the road for less than half of the available game time. At home, Minnesota averages less than half a game’s worth of possession time. Famous for asking, “You like that?!” after big wins, I don’t think Cousins will like the outcome in this one.”
MORE: 49ers First To Clinch Divisional Round Spot
If the Giants do defeat the Vikings, then they will play the No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles. That means that the winner of Monday Night Football’s matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will head down to Levi’s Stadium to take on San Francisco.
The 49ers already defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in Week 14, and it would be quite the story to see Brock Purdy potentially knock out Tom Brady in the NFL playoffs.
If it ends up being the Cowboys, well, the 49ers can just hope to repeat the same performance they had last year when they eliminated Dallas in the Divisional Round.
Scenario No. 2: Vikings Defeat the Giants
In this more likely scenario, the 49ers’ opponent in the Divisional Round will be the Minnesota Vikings. As mentioned above, the Vikings are currently expected to win this game based on their current odds.
Current NFL Playoff Bracket
