The San Francisco 49ers locker room buzzed with excitement after witnessing the Arizona Cardinals upset the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. That, coupled with the Niners' Week 17 victory against the Washington Commanders, secured the coveted No. 1 seed, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage in the playoffs, eliminating the need for the 49ers to leave the Pacific Time Zone for the remainder of the season.
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While this weekend's achievement was significant, it's not what the 49ers have focused on all season. They believe they have a championship roster capable of bringing home the organization's sixth Lombardi Trophy.
"Our emotions is pretty high right now," a jubilant Charvarius Ward told team reporter Lindsey Pallares after the 27-10 win. "We're ecstatic, grateful to have number one seed, but this is not our main goal. That was one of our goals along the way.
"Obviously, we want to win a Super Bowl, but we got to come out and practice next week, get better in practice, because we don't know who going to be playing the last game of the season, starting, so we got to come out, keep preparing, keep getting better and better. But we definitely happy getting the number one seed, for sure."
The 49ers rebounded from a disappointing Christmas loss against the Baltimore Ravens, placing them exactly where they aimed to be by the end of the season—ensuring that the path to Super Bowl 58 runs through Levi's Stadium.
"We did have a little let down on Christmas, but our main goal is not letting one loss turn into two losses," Ward said. "And we went out there (against the Commanders), we balled out of there in the second half. They got a little something on us in the first half, but we just keep fighting, keep pounding. We got some turnovers in the second half, and they kind of catapulted our team to the W."
The upcoming regular-season finale holds less significance than it might have had the Eagles won their game. Following that, the team will shift its focus toward preparing for its first playoff game and a Super Bowl run.
One goal completed ✅
Team reporter @lindseylares caught up with @itslilmooney for the @Lexus postgame interview following the #49ers Week 17 win over the Commanders. pic.twitter.com/ByrofU1C5g
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 31, 2023
