SANTA CLARA – Cheers and euphoria filled the air inside the 49ers’ cramped locker room inside FedEx Field on New Year’s Eve.
The Niners had just clinched the NFC playoffs’ No. 1 seed, at first doing their part in beating the Washington Commanders. Then they huddled around small televisions and phones, merrily watching the Arizona Cardinals rally for a last-minute win in Philadelphia, thus blocking the Eagles from that top seed.
“That means the world. So shout out to the Cardinals...