The 49ers avoided their first losing streak of the season Sunday, and (briefly) regained control of the NFC's top seed.

San Francisco improved to 11-2, dropping the New Orleans Saints to 10-3 in a nail-biting, 48-46 win at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The 49ers moved back into the NFC's No. 1 seed, and they could hang on to it if the Seattle Seahawks lose to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night.

A Seahawks win at the LA Coliseum would drop the 49ers back into the No. 5 seed, but San Francisco would still be on a path towards earning home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. Though the Seahawks currently hold the tiebreaker, the 49ers could win the NFC West -- and, likely, the NFC's top seed -- if they win in Seattle in Week 17 and hold a tiebreaker over the Seahawks.

Those can get complicated, with records against the division, common opponents and/or conference possibly taken account into account. The 49ers have a win over the Saints while the Seahawks do not, but it'd still be easier for the 49ers to root for the Seahawks to slip up before a must-win Week 17.

[RELATED: 49ers center Richburg carted off vs. Saints with injury]

Here's what the NFC playoff picture looks like following the conclusion of the 1 p,m. ET/10 a.m. PT games.