The 49ers have a straight, but not easy, path to the No. 1 seed

The Seahawks were the big winners on Thursday night, moving to 12-3 and opening up a one-game lead over the 11-4 Rams for the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the conference.

The second biggest winners were the 49ers. With the Rams losing, the 49ers now control their path to the NFC West crown, the lone NFC bye, and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

It's that simple, even if it won't be easy. Win at Indianapolis on Monday night, win at home against the Bears the following Sunday night, and beat the Seahawks in Santa Clara the following weekend, and the 49ers will be two home games away from playing in the third "home" Super Bowl of the decade.

The Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV in Tampa, and the Rams won Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.

The 49ers beat the Seahawks in Week 1. A win in the rematch would give San Francisco the first tiebreaker with Seattle. The 49ers, by virtue of a better record in the division, would beat the Rams (if they win their final two games). And a win over the Bears would eliminate the other three division winners from besting the Niners for the top seed.

The fact that the 49ers have a straight shot at the top seed is amazing, given the adversity the team has faced this year. If they pull it off, Kyle Shanahan instantly becomes a viable candidate for coach of the year.

Currently, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel remains the favorite, at +150. Seahawks coach Mike McDonald has moved to +200. Next is Shanahan, at +400.

More importantly, three more regular-season wins would put the 49ers three wins, all at Levi's Stadium, away from winning their first Super Bowl in 31 years.