This week's iteration of "Monday Night Football" proved a captivating watch. Much of the intrigue arose not from the matchup itself, but rather the implications it had on the NFC standings.
The 49ers and Panthers each found early success, putting themselves into postseason contention. Neither team's place was secure, however, with the ever-changing nature of the league standings leaving both teams grasping for a wild-card spot ahead of Week 12.
The game proved fairly unremarkable. San Francisco overcame Brock Purdy's turnovers to down Carolina, 20-9 as Christian McCaffrey sizzled in his first game against his long-time employers. The NFC standings were the entity most affected by the action, with the Niners and Panthers' positions in the league hierarchy becoming more clear following the game.
Here's a look at the NFC playoff standings upon the conclusion of the Week 12 slate of games.
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NFC playoff standings
| Position | Team | Record |
| 1 | Los Angeles Rams | 9-2 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | 8-3 |
| 3 | Chicago Bears | 8-3 |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-5 |
| 5 | Seattle Seahawks | 8-3 |
| 6 | San Francisco 49ers | 8-4 |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers | 7-3-1 |
| 8 | Detroit Lions | 7-4 |
| 9 | Carolina Panthers | 6-6 |
| 10 | Dallas Cowboys | 5-5-1 |
| 11 | Atlanta Falcons | 4-7 |
| 12 | Minnesota Vikings | 4-7 |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals | 3-8 |
| 14 | Washington Commanders | 3-8 |
| 15 | New Orleans Saints | 2-9 |
| 16 | New York Giants | 2-10 |
The Niners didn't get the help they needed to climb up the NFC West, with Seattle's win over the Titans ensuring San Francisco would remain third-place in their division regardless of their result.
Nevertheless, the 49ers did cement themselves in wild-card contention, leapfrogging the Packers with their win over the Panthers. A matchup against Shedeur Sanders and the 3-8 Browns beckons -- an enticing proposition for a team one game out of the No. 5 seed.
San Francisco needs some help to catch the division and conference-leading Rams. If the season were to end today, the 49ers would travel to Chicago to take on the Bears in the wild-card. Round. That is subject to change, though -- Chicago trails only the No. 2-seeded Eagles by way of tiebreaker, while the Lions are just one game back from the Bears.
The Panthers, meanwhile, entered Week 12 with a chance to take sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Monday's result puts some distance between Carolina and a coveted wild-card spot, with Detroit holding a two-game advantage over Dave Canales' bunch.
Things aren't as dire in the divisional places. The Panthers are one game out of first place behind the Buccaneers. The two NFC South teams still have to play twice before the end of the regular season -- once in Week 16, the other in Week 18.
MORE NFL WEEK 12:
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- How Steelers' loss, Ravens' win flips leaderboard in AFC North
- Lions, Bears, Packers all picks up wins to maintain pace in NFC North
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba breaks Seahawks' single-season receiving record in just 11 games
- Amon-Ra St. Browns trolls Giants with Victor Cruz salsa celebration
49ers remaining schedule
| Week | Opponent |
| 13 | at Browns |
| 14 | BYE |
| 15 | vs. Titans |
| 16 | at Colts (MNF) |
| 17 | vs. Bears (SNF) |
| 18 | vs. Seahawks |
The Niners should receive a reprieve in the coming few weeks. Their Week 14 bye week is sandwiched by matchups with Cleveland and Tennessee, teams who have combined for four wins thus far. They'll need to get as many positive results as possible ahead of their final three games, all of which come against teams within one win of the No. 1 seed in their respective conference.
With just one divisional game remaining -- a Week 18 tilt with Seattle -- the 49ers will need results to go their way if they hope to overtake Los Angeles for first-place in the NFC West. They split their series with the Rams and currently sport the best divisional record among NFC West teams, although the Rams still have three divisional games left.
All of that is to say, San Francisco has put itself in strong position to clinch another playoff berth. Where Kyle Shanahan's team plays when the playoffs start remains to be seen, although it seems likely -- at least at this point in the season -- that it will be on the road to start its campaign.
Panthers remaining schedule
| Week | Opponent |
| 13 | vs. Rams |
| 14 | BYE |
| 15 | at Saints |
| 16 | vs. Buccaneers |
| 17 | vs. Seahawks |
| 18 | at Buccaneers |
Things don't get much easier for the Panthers in Week 13. They'll lock horns with MVP favorite Matthew Stafford and the No. 1-seeded Rams away from home.
Following Carolina's Week 14 bye, the Panthers will be greeted by a pair of divisional opponents in New Orleans and Tampa Bay. Neither game represents a guaranteed result for Canales' squad. The Panthers fell to the Saints in Week 10, tallying just seven points against one of the league's lowliest defenses.
A Week 17 tilt against the Seahawks also could prove a trap game for a Carolina team that has some work to do if it wants to claim its first playoff berth since 2017. The Panthers will end their season against the Buccaneers. Only time will tell if that matchup will have serious stakes attached to it.