The 2016 NFL season has turned the tables on Bay Area football fans, with one side of the bay in the limelight for the first time in quite a few years.

The Oakland Raiders clinched their first winning season since 2002 on Nov. 27 with  a 35-32 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Unfortunately, the Raiders suffered an excruciating 21-13 loss on the road to the Kansas City Chiefs last Thursday, ending their six-game winning streak. 

With the defeat, Oakland not only lost control of first place in the AFC West, but it also fell from the AFC’s top seed all the way down to a wild card spot at No. 5. Going forward, the Chiefs hold the tiebreaker over the Raiders because of the season sweep.  

Back on Dec. 4 the Raiders overcame a 15-point defecit for the first time since 2000 to defeat the Buffalo Bills, 38-24. Quarterback Derek Carr has six fourth quarter comebacks this year alone.

The atmosphere is vastly different just across the bay. The San Francisco 49ers have been in the spotlight all year, but for all the wrong reasons.

The 49ers gave their fans a good week one win against the Los Angeles Rams, with a 28-0 triumph. But they have not won a single contest in the following 12 weeks. The team has managed to blow eight first-half leads this season.

For the first time since 2010, the 49ers have a losing record. This season appears to be one of their worst seasons since 2004, which came to a close with a 2-14 record.

Being one of the three mathematically eliminated teams in the NFL, 49ers fans can only look to 2017 for hope.

While the Bay Area is split between winning and losing teams, football fans have a lot to look forward to for the remaining weeks of the 2016 regular season.

The Dallas Cowboys (11-2) were the first team to clinch a playoff berth, back on Dec. 1. They currently hold a two game lead in the NFC East over the New York Giants.

The Seattle Seahawks will battle for the No. 2 seed in the NFC, as they trail the Detroit Lions but still hold a three game lead in the lowly NFC West. 

In the AFC, the New England Patriots are the favorites to lock up the top seed.

Outside of that, the rest of the playoff picture is up in the air.  The AFC south, north and west, and the NFC north and south divisions may not be decided until the season’s final week.