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The battle for the NFC West has felt like a two-horse race between the Rams and Seahawks for most of the season, but don't forget about the San Francisco 49ers, because they are very much still in it, especially after Thursday night's wild game in Seattle. 

The 49ers got some serious help from the Seahawks, who beat the Rams, 38-37, in a wild overtime shootout. 

Thanks to Seattle's victory, the 49ers now have full control over their path to winning both the NFC West and clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC. That's right, the Seahawks' win has kicked the door wide open for the 49ers to come in and steal the top spot in the conference. 

If the 49ers win their final three games, that will allow them to clinch the NFC West AND the top seed in the NFC. Of course, winning out won't be easy, as they face a brutal schedule over the final three weeks: 

Week 16: at Colts (8-6)
Week 17: vs. Bears (10-4)
Week 18: vs. Seahawks (12-3)

That's a remaining strength of schedule of .698, which is the most difficult in the NFL.

There are currently only four teams in the NFC with 10 wins or more: the Rams, 49ers, Seahawks and Bears. If the 49ers win out, they will have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks and the Bears. 

If the Rams win their final two games, that would put them at 13-4, which is the same record the 49ers will have if they win out. If that happens, the division would be decided on tiebreakers. The 49ers and Rams split their season series, so the next tiebreaker would be division record. That's where the 49ers would win -- they'd have a division record of 5-1 while the Rams would be 4-2. 

It's a simple path, but the oddsmakers don't seem convinced the 49ers will be able to pull it off. Here are the current odds for each team to win the division following Thursday's game (via DraftKings Sportsbook).

1. Seahawks (12-3): -140
2. Rams (11-4): +250
3. 49ers (10-4): +380

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Of course, the Seahawks also control their own fate: If they win their final two games (at Carolina, at San Francisco), then they'll clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC. Heading into the meat of Week 16, the Seahawks and 49ers are the only two teams that control their fate when it comes to the No. 1 overall seed.  

If the 49ers do earn the No. 1 overall seed, that will potentially put them in a situation where they play FIVE straight home games to end the 2025 NFL season. Not only do they have two straight home games to end the regular season, but Super Bowl LX is being played at their home stadium. If the 49ers earn home-field advantage and keep winning, they'd play two playoff games at home before playing the Super Bowl at Levi's Stadium. If you add that to the two regular-season games, they'd get to stay at home for five games over 48 days. 

The 49ers would also become the third team to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium, joining the 2020 Buccaneers and 2021 Rams. Both of those teams won a Lombardi Trophy on their home turf.