By Dean Michaels, NFL Writer
The 49ers can secure a playoff berth with a win on Sunday. With a victory at New England coupled with a Seattle loss to Buffalo, San Francisco will clinch the NFC West for the second consecutive year.
"We're just locked in on this one here with New England," says 49ers head coach JIM HARBAUGH. "I really believe it's about this next game. We don't take anything for granted. Nothing is secured until it's secured."
New England has won seven in a row, including last week's 42-14 win over Houston. The Patriots have already clinched the AFC East and are in a race for a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs.
"It's always good to win these games," says New England quarterback TOM BRADY, who recorded his 14th career game with at least four touchdown passes and no interceptions, the most in NFL history. "We've played a lot of big games here. We've got a great football team coming in on a short week for us, so we've got to put everything into this one next week."
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