49ers' playoff standing improves during Week 14 bye as other NFC contenders clash

The 49ers enjoyed a bump in their playoff position without lifting a finger in their bye week, the last of the NFL season. The other teams battled it out in a blockbuster of matchups with gargantuan postseason implications across the board in both NFL conferences. In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers leapfrogged the Chicago Bears to take the No. 2 overall seed while dropping their division rivals to the seventh and final wild-card position, a precipitous fall for an opponent in one afternoon of work. The 49ers will play those Bears in a Sunday night clash in Week 17, which surely will intrigue. But, first come the Tennessee Titans in a matinee next Sunday, a potent opponent with nothing to lose. On this episode of "49ers Talk," co-hosts Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan look ahead to San Francisco's final four games, a stretch that will test it in all phases and could define the rest of the team's entire season.

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(2:00) 49ers were guaranteed to move up at least a position following Packers-Bears outcome
(4:00) Rams, Seahawks still pacing the NFC West with 10 wins, but 49ers remain in the mix
(10:00) How will the 49ers, Saleh respond to rush-dominant game plans against them?
(11:00) Rookie and locker-room favorite Alfred Collins will be key to stopping the rush
(18:00) Looking ahead to the final stretch for NFC opponents and their schedules
(19:00) 49ers avoid tough end-of-season matchups unlike last season
(20:00) Why can’t 49ers run the table to end the season as No. 1 seed?

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