The San Francisco 49ers entered the season with aspirations of going one better after their agonizing Super Bowl 58 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Now their chances of even making the playoffs are dwindling following their latest NFC West defeat.

For the third time this season, the 49ers let slip a fourth-quarter lead against a divisional opponent as they slumped to a 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

It means the 49ers are 5-5 and 1-3 inside their division, leaving San Francisco with an uphill battle to reach the postseason for a fourth consecutive year.

Prior to the defeat to Seattle, the 49ers were given a 45 percent chance to make the playoffs and a 28 percent chance to win the NFC West, according to The New York Times' playoff simulator.

Those odds have now tanked. Following Week 11, the Niners have a 23 percent chance to make the playoffs and just a 12 percent shot of winning the West.

San Francisco faces a pair of upcoming ominous road games that makes the 49ers' task in recovering from a very disappointing start even more challenging. 

The 49ers visit the Green Bay Packers in a rematch of last year's Divisional Round on Sunday, before a primetime clash with the Buffalo Bills.

And the reunion with the Packers looks set to be a season-defining one.

Per the NYT, the 49ers' odds of making the postseason will improve to 38 percent with victory at Lambeau Field. Lose, and San Francisco will have just a 10 percent shot of playing playoff football this season.

It's a precarious time for the Niners. They have backed themselves into a corner ahead of games with two stellar opponents. How they respond over the next two weeks will determine how long their season stretches.

49ers enter Week 12 clash with Packers with unfamiliar status that they absolutely deserve

They’ve unquestionably earned it.