Can they keep it the rest of the way?
The Minnesota Vikings had every chance to lock up their NFC playoff spot going into their bye week. But they’ve lost two games by a combined three points (while turning the ball over seven times), which has made their situation far more challenging as the games approach the home stretch.
point as well.
The remaining games are against the Arizona Wildcats, the New York Giants, at Seattle, and at Dallas.
2) San Francisco 49ers (9-3, NFC West leaders, ahead of Detroit because of conference record)
Recall the time the Niners were no longer considered elite after losing three straight games? Yes, that was quite humorous. After dominating Philadelphia on Sunday, the Niners are now putting pressure on them to be the conference’s top seed. San Francisco may be playing the best football in the NFC right now, having dominated both Dallas and Philadelphia this season. At the conclusion of the regular season, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them at the top.
The remaining games are against the Los Angeles Rams, at Arizona, Seattle, Baltimore, and Washington.
3) Detroit Lions (9-3, NFC North leaders)
Unless there is some kind of bizarre collapse, the Lions seem to have the NFC North under control. After a fiery start to the season, their defense has calmed down, but they are still far ahead of the competition and should win their first division title since the Bush Administration. If you’re scoring at home, that’s Bush 41, not Bush 43. Will the two games Minnesota plays against them in the next three weeks matter?
Schedule remaining: at Dallas vs. Minnesota, at Chicago vs. Denver, at Minnesota
4) Atlanta Falcons (6-6, NFC South leaders)
Whoa, what do you think? The NFC South is terrible once more. With a.500 record, the Falcons lead the division right now, but it wouldn’t be shocking if they sent a team below.500 to the postseason for the second consecutive year. That would still be sufficient to earn them the privilege of being humiliated in a home playoff game by the NFC East winner, which is something, I suppose.
If the Cowboys can’t win the NFC East, they’ll most likely finish as the #5 seed, just like they did the previous season, as they are three games ahead of the remaining teams in the Wild Card field. As one of the hottest teams in the league right now, Dallas may be catching Philadelphia at the ideal moment to pass them in the division race. On the surface, though, their schedule is far more difficult than Philadelphia’s in the closing stages.
The remaining games are against Detroit, at Washington, at Buffalo, at Miami, and against Philadelphia.
6) Minnesota Vikings (6-6, NFC North 2nd place)
In this case, the tiebreaker operates as follows: Because of their head-to-head victory, the Vikings lead Green Bay in the NFC North, and their sweep of Seattle puts Los Angeles ahead of Seattle in the NFC West. It comes down to the Rams and the Vikings, and the Rams have the better conference record, which puts them ahead.
This implies that the Vikings are in charge of their own fate because, should they win, no one will be able to prevent them from making the playoffs. Naturally, they won’t win and it won’t matter if they (again) can’t stop turning the ball over. But at this stage of the season, it’s always nice to be in charge of your own fate.
The remaining games are at Green Bay, at Detroit, at Las Vegas, at Cincinnati, and at Detroit.
7) Green Bay Packers (6-6, NFC North 3rd place, ahead of Los Angeles via head-to-head)
The Packers’ victory tonight has allowed them to squeak into the final NFC playoff spot. They now hold this position after defeating the Rams earlier in the season. It will be challenging to hold them off because their schedule for the last five weeks of the year isn’t exactly a murderer’s row. Hopefully, the purple can pull it off.
The remaining games are against the New York Giants, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Minnesota, and Chicago.
