It became apparent early Sunday afternoon that the No. 1 seed was out of reach for the 49ers, as the Eagles scored on their first two possessions while the Giants, whom the 49ers needed an improbable win from, could barely move the ball. With the Vikings cruising to a win over the Bears earlier in the day, the Niners' choices were either beat the Cardinals and clinch the No. 2 seed, or rest everyone and slide down to No. 3.
The questionable advantage of the third seed was simple: it locked in a matchup with the Giants instead of risking a possible 2-7 showdown with a hot Packers team.