The Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 to secure the NFC West title and top spot in the NFC, which gives them a first-round bye and home advantage throughout the play-offs.
Zach Charbonnet scored the game’s only touchdown and Jason Myers kicked two field goals for a Seahawks side whose victory was built on a strong defensive performance on the road.
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The win was their seventh in a row and gives them a 14-3 record.
“Our defence picked us up. They have been all year. They’ve been doing a great job,” said Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold passed for 198 yards, while team-mates Kenneth Walker III and Charbonnet rushed for 97 yards and 74 yards respectively.
“Incredible. We worked so hard from day one,” said Walker. “We’ve been grinding up till now. But we got a lot of work to do, so we can’t get satisfied.”
The 49ers (12-5) had their six-game winning run ended by a defeat which means they will be on the road for the wildcard round.
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Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their play-off hopes alive with a 16-14 win against the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers, who needed a win to secure their play-off spot, scored with a late Jalen Coker touchdown but the Buccaneers held on for victory.
Both teams have 8-9 losing records and will have to wait for the result of the game between the already-eliminated Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints to see who reaches the play-offs.
A win for the Falcons will send Carolina through, while a Saints victory would mean the Buccaneers progress.
What is the NFL play-off format?
The top seed in the NFC and AFC both get a first-round bye and home advantage throughout the play-offs.
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The remaining six teams take part in Wildcard Weekend, with three division winners playing at home against three wildcard teams – the second seed playing seventh, third hosting sixth and fourth facing fifth.
From there, the top seeds enter the fray by hosting the lowest remaining seed left, with the next highest seed at home against the next lowest seed in the Divisional Round.
The Championship games are then contested with the highest seed remaining hosting the game, which is why finishing in top spot can be so important.
