The San Francisco 49ers head into the playoffs in a position they have not occupied since the 2019 season, as the clear top team in the NFC.

San Francisco clinched the one seed in the conference, and the first-round bye and homefield advantage that comes with it, back in Week 17.

That allowed the 49ers to rest starters in the regular-season finale, which they lost 21-20 to the Los Angeles Rams.

Unsurprisingly, that defeat has had no impact on the power rankings, with the 49ers still ranked second behind the AFC one seed Baltimore Ravens by Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr.

The Niners will obviously benefit hugely from the bye week from a rest perspective, but there is the flip side, which is that their rivals will be playing intense Wild Card games, all with the motivation of getting the chance to topple San Francisco and dislodge the 49ers from their perch atop the conference.

In other words, the Niners enter the postseason with a target on their backs.

Ensuring they are not toppled will be a matter of the 49ers maintaining the intensity with which they have attacked a hugely successful regular season.

Speaking after the loss to the Rams, head coach Kyle Shanahan made an unsurprising statement when asked about their practice plans for the bye week.

"Yeah, we'll have two days. We'll practice real hard," Shanahan said. 

"We'll probably have one day, we just do like a team conditioning thing, not much football. But we'll have two days we practice real hard."

The 49ers have long since practiced extremely hard under Shanahan, and ensuring the practices they do hold this week and the next serve as adequate preparation for the Divisional Round will go a long way to maintaining their position as the NFC favorite for the Super Bowl despite that significant target on their back.

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