The Dallas Cowboys as the top seed. The Arizona Cardinals getting a first-round bye. The Detroit Lions winning the NFC North. The Seattle Seahawks missing the playoffs altogether. That’s what everyone predicted, wasn’t it?
The NFC has been turned on its head this season as nobody saw this coming. There’s still nine more weeks for things to get straightened out but if the playoffs started today, here’s what the NFC seeds would look like.
1. Dallas Cowboys (6-1)
This is the biggest surprise in the NFL this season, hands down. Dallas had been a .500 team the past few seasons and had been on a path that did not indicate a significant upswing in performance or results. The Cowboys had a below-average defense and a hit-and-miss offense that would be great one day and awful the next. However, Dallas has retooled its offensive line and has become a powerful, physical running team.
Running back DeMarco Murray has become the first running back in the entire history of the National Football League to rush for at least 100 yards in each of the first seven games of the regular season. With Dez Bryant catching big-play passes from quarterback Tony Romo, the Cowboys have everything a team could want in the attempt to reach the Super Bowl. There aren’t many weaknesses on the Cowboys right now, and that’s why they’re in position to get a first-round bye in the playoffs.
2. Arizona Cardinals (5-1)
The Cardinals, with a mixture of quarterbacks, are leading the two teams that played in the NFC Championship Game last season. Arizona, with Drew Stanton occasionally filling in for starter Carson Palmer at quarterback, has remained in control of the NFC West, with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks trailing the Cardinals. Arizona head coach Bruce Arians has set himself apart as the NFC’s best head coach to this stage of the season. The Cardinals were supposed to have suffered as a result of losing pass rusher John Abraham and defensive lineman Darnell Dockett. Yet, other defenders have been able to step in and cause the team to not miss a beat. Arizona hosts 5-1 Philadelphia in a huge game this weekend. The Cardinals, right now, would have a first-round bye.
3. Detroit Lions (5-2)
The Lions would be the third division winner by virtue of a head-to-head win over the Green Bay Packers, which are also 5-2 in the NFC North. The Lions’ defense is what’s carrying them in the absence of star receiver Calvin Johnson, and the offense is cutting down on the mistakes just enough to allow the defense to do its thing. If the season ended today, the Lions would host a playoff game, the first in many years in Detroit. The opponent would be the Packers, but the Lions do have to go to Green Bay to secure a division lead.
4. Carolina Panthers (3-3-1)
This is the team with the bad record in the NFC playoff picture, but a team that would get into the playoffs because of the fact that a division winner automatically gets into the playoffs. Last season, Green Bay got in as the NFC North champion with an 8-7-1 record, and Carolina just might do the same this season. If the Panthers hold on in the NFC South, they would host the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round of the playoffs.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (5-1)
The Eagles visit the Arizona Cardinals this weekend in a monster NFC game. The Eagles also have two games to come against the Dallas Cowboys, for what could be the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs. Philadelphia would visit Carolina in the wild card round if the season ended today.
6. Green Bay Packers (5-2)
The Packers were shut down by the Detroit Lions, 19-7, in the Motor City earlier this season. The Packers want to stay tied with the Lions and then beat them in Green Bay later in the season. If the playoffs started today, Green Bay would have to visit Detroit in the wild card round, but again, the Packers will host the Lions later in the regular season.
