The San Francisco 49ers are top of the NFC and in pole position for a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs after completing a season sweep of the Seattle Seahawks.

San Francisco struggled a little on offense in the first half but finished with 527 yards behind 12 explosive plays as they claimed a 28-16 victory over their division rivals.

The Niners are now virtually assured of a second successive NFC West title at 10-3, and are in that position after several of the players we picked out as ones to watch produced impressive displays.

WR Deebo Samuel: A

He didn't reach the heights of his hat-trick against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he wasn't far off. 

Samuel continued his hot streak in another instrumental performance against Seattle, reeling in a 54-yard bomb on which he burnt safety Jamal Adams to put the 49ers up 14-10 and scoring a one-yard rushing touchdown that saw him break the record for the most in NFL history by a wide receiver.

Finishing with 150 yards from scrimmage, Samuel now has 900 such yards for the season and nine total touchdowns, his most since his stunning 2021 season that saw him find the endzone 14 times.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Samuel: "I think he's at the top of his game right now."

There's no arguing with that assessment.

Jon Feliciano: B

The Seahawks did get to Brock Purdy and were able to do so with pressure up the middle as veteran Feliciano replaced the injured Spencer Burford at right guard.

San Francisco also had much greater success running to the left side of the line than they did the right but, as expected, the loss of Burford was not something that continually hamstrung the offense, and that's a testament to the reliability of Feliciano and the astute decision by the Niners to sign him as insurance this offseason.

Javon Kinlaw: B+

San Francisco's interior rush definitely wasn't as disruptive with Arik Armstead missing the game and Javon Hargrave then suffering a hamstring injury.

However, Kinlaw made his presence felt as he continued his recent strong play. The 2020 first-round pick had a pressure that led to a Nick Bosa sack of Drew Lock in the fourth quarter and also split a sack with the star edge rusher.

The 49ers waited a long time to get a consistent impact out of Kinlaw. Now he's finally healthy, they're reaping some belated reward from his selection.

Nick Bosa: A-

The 49ers initially struggled to get to Lock in the first half, but when their defense shut the door on the Seahawks' comeback efforts, it was the reigning Defensive Player of the Year who led the way with his pass-rushing prowess, totaling eight pressures, per Pro Football Focus.

Bosa finished with 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss, with the 49ers creating matchup advantages for the defensive end by deploying him on the inside as well as on the edge.

His numbers might not be on the level of 2022, but Bosa consistently demonstrates why he is considered among the league's very best on defense, and he was typically critical in Week 14.

Charvarius Ward: Incomplete

Ward never really got the chance to replicate his shutdown performance against DK Metcalf from Thanksgiving, as he suffered a groin injury on the 49ers' first defensive series.

He did almost come down with an interception on that opening series, and thankfully his absence did not prove telling as the secondary excelled in his absence.

Still, the 49ers will be hopeful that Ward, who has a league-leading 20 pass breakups, will not be on the sideline for a prolonged period.

49ers’ play that never counted gives them exciting new weapon

It stunned everyone.