Playoff talk: This time, it's for real

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Down goes Seattle. Down goes St. Louis.

Just like that, they 49ers found themselves thrust back into the thick of the NFC West race by no doing of their own.

They were destroyed by San Diego on Thursday, and faced elimination if the co-leaders both won Sunday. Instead, they are still one game back with two to go -- starring the Official Game of All Games at St. Louis on Sunday.

This isn't to say the 49ers are sure to beat the Rams on the road, seeing it took all they had plus overtime to beat the Rams at home. But, they have a chance.

Suddenly, their playoff talk is no longer a mere mathematically-correct theory. If they beat the Rams, they will be in the driver's seat to win this thing in spite of everything that's gone wrong all year.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but this makes Sunday's game at St. Louis their most pivotal game in years.

Here are the scenarios the 49ers face if they are to be the first team with a losing record to reach the playoffs outside the strike-shortened 1982 season (put that slogan on a shirt). And we won't mess with the complicated scenarios that involve tie games.

No. 1 -- Lose to St. Louis, and it's over. Can't make up to two games in a season finale versus visiting Arizona. And, even if they beat the Rams, they need Seattle to lose once or they fall a game short.

All the others are if they beat the Rams.

No. 2 -- The 49ers beat Arizona, and Seattle loses one of two to Tampa Bay and St. Louis, creating a three-way tie for first place. The 49ers win the first tiebreaker by virtue of a superior 5-1 NFC West record.

No. 3 -- If the 49ers beat Arizona and finish tied for first with only the Rams -- which means Seattle went 0-2 -- they win the tiebreaker by virtue of a 2-0 record in head-to-head matches with the Rams.

Those are the most serious scenarios that could unfold here.

Posted By: David White (Email, Twitter) | December 19 2010 at 04:49 PM