There’s still a game to go, but it makes no difference what happens in the Monday Night Football face off between the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The NFC Field isn’t set yet, but it’s close.
The real contest over the final two weeks of the season revolves around the final Wild Card spot. We’ll get to that as we roll through.
ALREADY IN
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (12-2)
Won the NFC East and currently the No. 1 seed
While Carson Wentz’s injury wasn’t the best thing that could have happened for the Eagles, it was certainly the best thing to happen to Nick Foles. He was considered a legit NFL starter even a few years ago before Jeff Fisher and Rob Boras teamed up to ruin him. He’s now, officially, the third quarterback this season to blast out of the gate, shake off the Fisher stink, and show exactly what he’s capable of achieving.
Eagles finished the season 6-2 on the road. They went 1-7 on the road last year. Remember how excited they were Week 1 in Washington? Doug Pederson was soaked with a Gatorade bath. Was a big deal then; has become the standard now.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 18, 2017
Is he as good as Wentz? No.
Is he good enough to get the Eagles to the Super Bowl? In this NFC field? Hell yes.
Is he good enough to win the Super Bowl? Against the Steelers or Patriots? Nope. Against the Jaguars or some other accidental arrival? Absolutely.
To get there, Philadelphia will have to keep home field advantage and can’t afford to take a week off. They have the Raiders on Christmas Eve and the Cowboys to wrap up the season. It’s far from a done deal.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (11-3)
Won the NFC North and currently the No. 2 seed
The Vikings have unquestionably peaked at the right time. While Sunday’s 34-7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals may not be impressive on paper, that was still a pretty good offense they completely shut down. If the Vikings can steal home field over the next couple of weeks, they could be the first team that plays the Super Bowl on their home turf. I’m not sure any team in the potential playoff field can beat Minnesota at home.
Tremendous ovation for @teddyb_h2o. Welcome back! 🐻#Skol pic.twitter.com/jLIM6HSc3y
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 17, 2017
They’ve got a big problem staring at them on Christmas Eve Sunday. They play the Packers at Green Bay in Aaron Rodgers’ second game back. I predicted he’d have some problems Sunday in his first game action in two months and he did. He’ll have considerably less in his second and with an outside chance at the playoffs still on the table, I like the Packers’ chances.
The Vikings finish up against the Bears on New Year’s Eve and that should be enough to keep the two spot.
LEADING THE PACK
LOS ANGELES RAMS (10-4)
Currently leading the NFC West by two games
By virtue of Sunday’s 42-7 shellacking of the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams basically won the NFC West even if the math doesn’t give it to them yet. All they have to do is win one of their final two games and they secure their first division title since 2003 and first playoff appearance since 2004.
WIN NO. 🔟 pic.twitter.com/5hK4moVbFv
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 18, 2017
Even if they lose both, if the Seahawks lose one of their final two, the Rams are still NFC West Champs. Los Angeles plays at the Tennessee Titans Sunday, then wraps up the season hosting the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams will likely be favored by six or better in both games.
While there’s no chance the Rams could get the No. 1 seed in the NFC, they’re still alive for the No. 2. L.A. has to win out and the Vikings have to lose both games. While I think the Rams can and should win both their final games, I don’t see Minnesota losing to the Bears on the final day of the season.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (10-4)
Currently leading the NFC South by a half game
The Saints are in the oddest position of all the division leaders. They have the tiebreaker advantage by virtue of a two-game sweep over the Panthers in the NFC South. They hold a one-game lead over the Atlanta Falcons, but face off against them Sunday. The Falcons have beaten the Saints once, so if they do so again, New Orleans falls to the No. 6 seed.
He's going…going…GONE! 💨#SaintsGameday | #NYJvsNO https://t.co/E7J8KDA3DF
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 17, 2017
After this Falcons game, the Saints get a respite before the playoffs begin, finishing up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
WILD CARDS
CAROLINA PANTHERS (10-4)
Currently a half-game back in the NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS (8-6)
Currently one and a half games back in the NFC South
Here’s where the NFC gets really interesting. Monday night’s Falcons vs. Bucs game does nothing to this field as it sits today. If the Bucs win, Atlanta is still the No. 6 seed. If the Falcons win, they remain the six, but it does open the possibility of stealing the division over the final two weeks.
Since I picked the Falcons to win on MNF and so did pretty much everyone else on the planet, we’ll move forward here with that. I would say such a move would be hubris, but since I have absolutely no rooting interest in Atlanta outside of my own picks, I feel safe.
Sunday the Saints and Falcons face off and, as I mentioned before, if Atlanta wins, the Panthers take over the South and New Orleans becomes the six. Atlanta moves up to No. 5. That would set up what would turn out to be an NFC South Championship game on New Year’s Eve between the Panthers and the Falcons. The winner of that game is the four and the loser the six.
If New Orleans loses to Atlanta then manages to drop their finale against the Bucs and the Dallas Cowboys beat the Nick Foles-led Eagles and the Seahawks, then the Saints will go from leading the division to missing the playoffs entirely.
The Buccaneers can potentially ruin any and all playoff spots for their NFC South rivals, if they win out. Any Bucs victory in that stretch could knock the team they beat completely out of the playoff picture. If, and this is the important “if,” the Cowboys win out. If the Seahawks beat the Cowboys Sunday and then the Cardinals on New Year’s Eve and the Bucs win any of their final three, then they make the playoffs.
Not only that, but the Detroit Lions could sneak into the playoffs with the Bucs sweeping their final three games and the Lions winning their last two. That could knock any two of these three NFC South teams completely out and the Cowboys and Seahawks too, whether they win their final two games or not.
But what if Seattle wins its final two games and the Rams lose both of theirs? Then it’s Los Angeles who could possibly miss the playoffs and the Seahawks win the NFC West. The Rams clinch a spot no matter what happens with a Lions or Seahawks loss. They also win any tiebreaker over the Saints.
Green Bay will also be rooting for the Bucs Monday night. They must win out, the Bucs have to beat the Falcons and the Falcons then need to lose to the Panthers on the final week of the season. Then, as long as the Cowboys beat the Seahawks, but lose to the Eagles, Aaron Rodgers gets in the tournament and everyone shits their pants.
So while the Bucs and Falcons game has no effect on playoff seeding this week, it certainly could by season’s end.
Still in it: Detroit Lions (8-6), Seattle Seahawks (8-6), Dallas Cowboys (8-6) and Green Bay Packers (7-7)
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