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7. Washington Commanders vs. 2. Philadelphia Eagles
6. Green Bay Packers vs. 3. Atlanta Falcons
5. Minnesota Vikings vs. 4. Los Angeles Rams
1. Detroit Lions (13 wins, 2 losses, 1st place in NFC North, playoff berth confirmed)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3; 1st place in NFC East; playoff berth confirmed)
3. Los Angeles Rams (9 wins, 6 losses, 1st place in the NFC West)
4. Atlanta Falcons (8-7; 1st place in NFC South)
5. Minnesota Vikings (13-2, playoff berth confirmed)
6. Green Bay Packers (11-4, playoff berth confirmed)
7. Washington Commanders (10-5)
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
9. Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
11. Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
12. San Francisco 49ers (6-9)
13. New Orleans Saints (5-10)
15. Carolina Panthers (4-11)
16. New York Giants (2-13)
The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings both control their own destiny for the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed. Minnesota plays the 11-4 Green Bay Packers on Sunday, and Detroit faces the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.
Victories for both teams set up a huge matchup on Sunday, January 5th, with the Lions hosting the Vikings for the No. 1 seed. Detroit defeated host Minnesota 31-29 earlier this season.
Philadelphia had a chance to steal the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but fell short with a 36-33 loss to the Washington Commanders. At 12-3, they can still get there, although they would need home wins against the 7-8 Dallas Cowboys and 2-13 New York Giants (very possible) to do so. Detroit has to lose and Minnesota has to bow to Green Bay.
The Eagles could still lose in the NFC East, but that would require a loss and a win for the Commanders.
In the South, the 8-7 Atlanta Falcons will decide their fate thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta finished the year at home against the Washington Commanders (10-5) and the Carolina Panthers (4-11).
That’s no easy feat, especially considering the Panthers have been looking good lately, most recently ruining the Cardinals’ season with a 30-27 overtime win last Sunday. However, rookie Michael Penix Jr. gave the Falcons a breath of fresh air in his first professional start last Sunday in a 34-7 win over the New York Giants.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay needs to win one more game than the Falcons to win the division. The Bucks lost 24-22 on the road to the Dallas Cowboys and were no longer in control of their destiny. They are scheduled to finish 2-0 as they finish the season at home against the Panthers and the 5-10 New Orleans Saints. However, Tampa Bay needs Atlanta to fail at least once.
The Rams are in the lead in the West Division with 9 wins and 6 losses. A 7-8 home win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday will see the Seattle Seahawks clinch the NFC West title with a road loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday. The Bears are at home, but Seattle has the advantage as they have lost nine straight. On Sunday, January 5th, LA hosts Seattle for a potential unofficial NFC West championship game.
