NFC Playoff Picture2 of 2

1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3, leads NFC West)

2. Chicago Bears (10-4, leads NFC North)

3. Philadelphia Eagles (9-5, leads NFC East)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7, leads NFC South)

This was a massive win for the Seahawks. They still have work to do, though, and close against the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers on the road. The simplest scenario for them to win the division and conference is to reign victorious in their final two games.

The Philadelphia Eagles win the NFC East if it wins one game or the Dallas Cowboys lose one game. The Eagles play the 4-10 Washington Commanders twice, including once on Saturday on the road, so the division could be sewn up by Sunday.

Meanwhile, the NFC North is heating up. The Chicago Bears now have the half-game lead on the Green Bay Packers, but they host them on Saturday for a big contest. The winner jumps into the NFC North lead. The Bears would take a game-and-a-half edge with two contests remaining. The Packers would have a half-game lead.

The NFC South is a stumble to the finish. Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers could have taken the solo lead in the division, but they fell to the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, respectively.

The Panthers and Bucs will decide this one themselves on the field with a pair of matchups in Weeks 16 and 18. Carolina hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday, and the Bucs will welcome the Panthers into town two weeks later.

The big game to watch in that race will be Carolina hosting Seattle on Dec. 28. If the Panthers win, they could have a leg up in the conference tiebreaker. Right now, Carolina is 5-4, and Tampa Bay is 5-5. The Bucs’ other game to round out the season is at the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 28.

If the Bucs and Panthers split their pair, and the Panthers beat the Seahawks, the Tampa Bay-Miami result in irrelevant, as Carolina would win the division via the conference record tiebreaker (their division record would be even at 3-3).

5. Los Angeles Rams (11-4)

6. San Francisco 49ers (10-4)

7. Green Bay Packers (9-4-1)

This was a tough loss to the Rams, and they no longer control their own destiny. The good news is that they have the easiest remaining schedule among the NFC contenders, with a road game at the 5-9 Atlanta Falcons and a home game versus the 3-11 Arizona Cardinals. More likely than not, they’ll win out, but they need some help to win the division and conference.

The 49ers, though, actually control their own destiny. If they win out, they’ll be 13-4 and own the division record tiebreaker. The Rams and Seahawks would be 13-4 at best in that scenario. San Francisco would have swept Seattle and split with the Rams, giving them the head-to-head tiebreaker over the other two teams (3-1). San Francisco visits the Indianapolis Colts before hosting the Chicago Bears and Seahawks.

Green Bay suffered a tough loss last Sunday at the Denver Broncos, but the path to the NFC North title is still in its hands. A win Saturday at the Chicago Bears puts Green Bay back in the division lead. The Packers don’t have it too easy down the stretch, but their schedule (home vs. 7-7 Baltimore Ravens, at the 6-8 Minnesota Vikings) is more manageable than the Bears

8. Detroit Lions (8-6)

9. Carolina Panthers (7-7)

10. Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1)

The Detroit Lions are down but not out after losing 41-34 at the Los Angeles Rams. Realistically, they have to win out and hope the Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packers drop enough for them to get leap-frogged. The Lions do close at the Bears and host the Pittsburgh Steelers and visit the Minnesota Vikings before then.

The Panthers’ parameters were discussed earlier. You can flip a coin at this point to decide the division.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys are all but out, but they still have a chance. They need to win out and hope the Eagles lost out. Dallas closes at home vs. the Los Angeles Chargers before visiting the four-win Washington Commanders and two-win New York Giants.

11. Minnesota Vikings (6-8)

12. Atlanta Falcons (5-9)

13. New Orleans Saints (4-10)

14. Washington Commanders (4-10)

15. Arizona Cardinals (3-11)

16. New York Giants (2-12)