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Here's How the 49ers Can Make the Playoffs in Week 18

By Larry Rupp

A look at how the San Francisco 49ers can make the playoffs in Week 18.
A look at how the San Francisco 49ers can make the playoffs in Week 18. / Ezra Shaw/GettyImages
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It's been an up-and-down season for the San Francisco 49ers, but head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad controls their own playoff destiny with one week to go. All eyes turn toward a Week 18 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams that is set to kick off at 4:25 p.m. EST on Sunday.

49ers Playoff Scenarios

There's a couple different ways in which the 49ers can clinch a playoff spot in the last week of the regular season. Most notably, San Francisco would be locked into the No. 6 seed in the NFC conference with a win over the Rams.

Keep in mind these two teams have already faced off once this year back in Week 10. The 49ers crushed the Rams by a score of 31-10 thanks to a balanced offensive attack. If San Francisco is unable to complete the sweep, it is going to need some help in order to reach the postseason.

The New Orleans Saints would also need to lose in order for the 49ers to get in with a Week 18 loss. New Orleans holds a tiebreaker over San Francisco and could sneak their way into the playoffs with a win over the Atlanta Falcons. Of course, that would need to be coupled with a Rams win on Sunday afternoon.

All things considered, the 49ers have a chance to take care of business in a tough divisional game. They will have to pull off an upset, though. With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo still banged up, San Francisco is slated as a 5.5-point road underdog in Week 18, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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