Category: NFC playoff picture

2 significant spots left in NFC playoff picture to determine in Week 18

A rundown of all the NFC playoff scenarios that will be determined in Week 18.

The Arizona Cardinals will not be in the playoffs. They were eliminated from contention in Week 16. But fans will watch the playoff picture play out in the NFC.

In Week 18, two spots are still up for grabs.

The No. 1 seed has not been determined and winner of the NFC North. The NFC South has not been determined.

So what are the playoff scenarios for Week 18?

NFC playoff scenarios in Week 18

Teams clinched

  • Detroit Lions
  • Philadelphia Eagles, NFC East title, No. 2 seed
  • Los Angeles Rams, NFC West title
  • Minnesota Vikings
  • Green Bay Packers
  • Washington Commanders

NFC North and No. 1 seed

The NFC North title and No. 1 seed will be determined Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings play the Detroit Lions on the road.

The Lions will clinch the NFC North and the No. 1 seed and first-round bye with a win over the Vikings or a tie.

The Vikings will win the division, get the top seed and first-round bye with a win.

NFC South

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) and Atlanta Falcons (8-8) are in contention.

The Bucs will clinch the division title with either a win or tie against the 5-11 New Orleans Saints or if the Falcons lose or tie against the 4-12 Carolina Panthers.

The Falcons will win the division and clinch the No. 4 seed if they beat the Panthers and the Bucs lose to the Saints.

No. 3 seed

The Rams have won the NFC West but could be the No. 3 or No. 4 seed. They will be the No. 3 seed if they beat the 9-7 Seattle Seahawks.

If they lose, they will finish at No. 3 in the conference if the Falcons win the NFC South. If the Bucs beat the Saints and Rams lose to Seattle, Tampa will be No. 3 and the Rams drop to No. 4.

No. 6-7 seeds

The Commanders and Packers are both 11-5. Week 18 will determine which team will be the No. 6 seed or No. 7 seed.

Washington is on the road against the 7-9 Dallas Cowboys. The Packers play the 4-12 Chicago Bears at home.

If both the Commanders and Packers win, lose, Washington will be No. 6 and Green Bay will be No. 7.

If the Packers win and Commanders lose or tie, of if they tie and Washington loses, Green Bay gets the No. 6 seed.

The Commanders clinch the No. 6 seed if they beat the Cowboys or if the Packers lose.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Commanders’ OT win over Falcons gives Rams NFC West title

The 10-6 Rams don’t even need a win in Week 18 as they clinched a strength of victory tiebreaker over the Seahawks.

The NFC West has been decided. It will not come down to a Week 18 showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

Thanks to an overtime touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels to former Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz, the Washington Commanders beat the Atlanta Falcons 30-24, clinching a playoff spot for themselves and gave the Rams the NFC West division title.

The Rams win the division having clinched the strength of victory tiebreaker.

Entering the week, if they beat the Cardinals (they did 13-9 on Saturday night), they needed a total of 3.5 wins between the Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Commanders, Bengals and Browns to clinch strength of victory.

The Vikings, Bills, Commanders and Bengals all won, so even if the Rams lose to Seattle in Week 18, they would own that tiebreaker, as they would be tied head-to-head, in division and conference records.

It is the Rams’ first division title since 2021 but their fourth in the last eight seasons and gives them a playoff trip for the second straight year, the fourth time in five years and sixth in the last eight.

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Updated NFC playoff picture entering Week 17

A look at the NFC playoff picture in Week 17 and what clinching scenarios there are.

The NFL playoff picture is growing clearer as we have two games remaining in the season. In the NFC, a division leader changed and some teams were eliminated from contention.

Four spots have been clinched. Three remain.

Here is the current NFC playoff picture:

NFC playoff standings, Week 17

  1. Detroit Lions, 13-2
  2. Philadelphia Eagles, 12-3
  3. Los Angeles Rams, 9-6
  4. Atlanta Falcons, 8-7
  5. Minnesota Vikings, 13-2
  6. Gren Bay Packers, 11-4
  7. Washington Commanders, 10-5

The Lions, Eagles, Vikings and Packers are all assured playoffs spots as they have clinched their berths.

The Seattle Seahawks (8-7) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) are the only teams in contention but not in the playoffs.

The Arizona Cardinals joined the ranks of those eliminated from contention.

The Falcons took over the NFC South lead with a 34-7 win over the New York Giants and 26-24 loss by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Dallas Cowboys. Atlanta holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bucs.

Week 17 playoff-clinching scenarios

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles can clinch the NFC East division title with a win or a tie, or a loss or tie by the Commanders.

The Eagles host the 7-8 Dallas Cowboys, while the Commanders host the 8-7 Falcons.

Detroit Lions

The Lions can clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs with a win and Vikings loss. Detroit is on the road to face the 6-9 San Francisco 49ers Monday night, while the Vikings host the Packers.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons will clinch the NFC South title and spot in the postseason with a win over the Commanders and a loss by the Buccaneers, who host the 4-11 Carolina Panthers.

L.A. Rams

The Rams will clinch the NFC West title with one of these scenarios:

  • A win plus a loss or tie by the Seahawks
  • A win plus clinching a strength of victory tiebreaker over Seattle
    • To clinch the strength of victory, between the Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Commanders, Bengals and Browns, there would need to be four wins (or any combination of wins and ties equalling 3.5).
  • A tie and Seattle loss

The Rams host the 7-8 Cardinals Saturday night. The Seahawks face the 4-11 Chicago Bears on the road Thursday night.

The Vikings play the Packers, the Bills play the Jets, the 49ers play the Lions, the Commanders play the Falcons, the Bengals play the Broncos and the Browns play the Dolphins.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders will clinch a playoff spot with a win or tie against the Falcons, or if the Bucs lose or tie against the Panthers.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

 

 

Rams close to clinching NFC West after Week 16 win

The Rams were the only team in the NFC West to win in Week 16 and have a one-game lead over Seattle.

The NFC West did not have a good Sunday in Week 16. Only the Los Angeles Rams won their game, and they are close to locking up the division.

The Rams are 9-6 and have a one-game lead over the Seattle Seahawks, the only team left with a shot at winning the division.

The Arizona Cardinals were eliminated from contention and the San Francisco 49ers lost again.

NFC West standings, Week 17

  1. Los Angeles Rams, 9-6
  2. Seattle Seahawks, 8-7
  3. Arizona Cardinals, 7-8
  4. San Francisco 49ers, 6-9

The Rams beat the New York Jets 19-9 behind running back Kyren Williams’ 122 yards and a touchdown.

The Seahawks got three touchdown passes from Geno Smith, but he was also picked off twice. Sam Darnold threw three touchdown passes for the Minnesota Vikings in a 27-24 win.

The Niners lost 29-17 to the Miami Dolphins Sunday night. Brock Purdy had two touchdown passes but was picked off once, while the Dolphins rushed for 166 yards.

The Rams and Cardinals play in California Saturday night. The Seahawks are on the road Thursday night against the 4-11 Chicago Bears.

The 49ers are at home against the Detroit Lions playing Monday night.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals eliminated from playoff contention

The Cardinals lost to the Panthers and the Rams beat the Jets, wiping out any possibility for Arizona to make the playoffs.

The Arizona Cardinals entered Week 16 with some playoff hopes. They were 7-7 and trailed the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams by a game. A win over the 3-11 Carolina Panthers would set up a critical Week 18 Saturday night game with the Rams, no matter what happened in other games.

However, the one scenario that could eliminate the Cardinals happened. A loss to the Panthers and a win by the Rams over the New York Jets would eliminate Arizona from being able to win the NFC West and make the postseason.

Unfortunately, that is what happened.

The Rams beat the Jets 19-9 behind two New York turnovers and 122 yards and a touchdown by Kyren Williams. Then, the Cardinals lost in overtime to the Panthers 36-30, as Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard, who had 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the game, had a 21-yard touchdown to end the game.

With two games to go, the Cardinals are 7-8 and face the Rams on the road and the San Francisco 49ers at home.

It seals yet another season without the postseason. Since the Cardinals moved to Arizona, they have made the playoffs only six times and only once since 2015.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

What help could the Cardinals use in the NFC West race?

Cardinals fans should root for the Jets over the Rams and the Vikings over the Seahawks in Week 16.

The Arizona Cardinals are 7-7 and in third place in the NFC West, behind both the 8-6 Los Angeles Rams and 8-6 Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals hope to improve to 8-7 with a win on the road over the Carolina Panthers.

They could use some help this week in Week 16.

The Rams are on the road against the New York Jets. A Cardinals win and Rams loss move the Cardinals ahead of them before they play each other on Saturday in Week 17.

The Seahawks are at home against the 12-2 Minnesota Vikings.

If the Rams and Seahawks lose, and the Cardinals bet the Panthers, all three will be 8-7. Seattle will hold the tiebreaker over the other two for the moment.

So in Week 16, Cardinals fans should be big fans of Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, as well as Sam Darnold and the Vikings.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Vikings clinch playoff berth, Rams jump into playoff picture

A look at the NFC playoff race with three weeks left in the season.

Week 15 is complete and the NFL playoff race is heating up in the NFC. The Minnesota Vikings officially punched their ticket to the postseason, securing three teams’ places in the playoffs in the conference, joining the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.

Three teams — the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and Chicago Bears are all eliminated from playoff contention.

There two changes in the playoff standings in Week 15. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved up from the No. 4 seed to No. 3 and the Los Angeles Rams took over the NFC West lead, knocking the Seattle Seahawks out of the playoff picture currently, and moving into the No. 4 seed.

Let’s have a look at the current standings in the NFC.

NFC playoff standings in Week 16

  1. Detroit Lions, 12-2
  2. Philadelphia Eagles, 12-2
  3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8-6
  4. Los Angeles Rams, 8-6
  5. Minnesota Vikings, 12-2
  6. Green Bay Packers, 10-4
  7. Washington Commanders, 9-5

In the mix are the 8-6 Seahawks, the 7-7 Arizona Cardinals and 7-7 Atlanta Falcons.

The Lions, Eagles and Vikings all have the same record. The Lions hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Vikings to give them the division lead, and they have a better conference record than the Eagles (8-1 vs. 7-2), which gives Detroit the edge for the No. 1 seed.

The Rams hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over Seattle, giving them the division lead despite having the same 8-6 record as Seattle.

Tampa leads Atlanta by a game. The Bucs must maintain a better record than the Falcons. Atlanta beat them twice this season and own a head-to-head tiebreaker.

Week 15 results that mattered

  • The Lions had their winning streak snapped as they lost to the Buffalo Bills 48-42.
  • The Eagles beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-13 at home.
  • The Bucs beat the L.A. Chargers 40-17, scoring 30 unanswered points after trailing 17-10. Baker Mayfield threw four touchdown passes.
  • The Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers 12-6 on Thursday night.
  • The Vikings blew out the Chicago Bears 30-12 on Monday night, allowing the Bears to convert on third down once in 12 attempts.
  • The Packers blew out the Seahawks 30-13 in Seattle.
  • The Commanders survived a 20-19 win over the New Orleans Saints, who after scoring a touchdown as time expired in the game, failed to convert the two-point conversion that would have given them the win.
  • The Cardinals snapped a three-game losing streak with a 30-17 win over the New England Patriots, behind 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns by James Conner.
  • The Falcons snapped a four-game skid with an unimpressive 15-9 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Week 16 key games in NFC playoff race

  • The Lions are on the road against the Bears.
  • The Eagles are on the road against the Commanders.
  • The Bucs play the Cowboys on the road.
  • The Rams play the New York Jets on the road.
  • Minnesota is on the road against the Seahawks.
  • The Packers host the Saints on Monday night.
  • The Cardinals play the Panthers on the road.
  • The Falcons are at home against the struggling Giants.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals get help they need in NFC West race in Week 15

They pulled within a game of the Rams and Seahawks in Week 15.

The Arizona Cardinals, following three consecutive losses after their bye week, did what they needed to stay alive in the race for the NFC West division title. They also needed help.

They got the help they needed.

They beat the New England Patriots 30-17 to even their record to 7-7.

The Seattle Seahawks lost at home to the Green Bay Packers 30-13 on Sunday night, dropping them to 8-6.

With the L.A. Rams’ 12-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, improving to 8-6, they actually took over the NFC West lead, as they hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks.

So the Rams and Seahawks are 8-6, while the Cardinals are 7-7 and a game behind with three games remaining in the season.

The 49ers are in last place at 6-8.

The Cardinals will face the Rams in Week 17 on the road and the Niners at home in Week 18. They have the 3-11 Carolina Panthers this coming Sunday.

The Seahawks host the 11-2 Minnesota Vikings this weekend and wrap up the season on the road against the Chicago Bears and Rams.

The Rams face the New York Jets on the road this weekend and then host the Cardinals and Seahawks to close out the season.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals need win, Seahawks loss in Week 15

For the Cardinals to keep pace in the NFC West race, they need a win over the Pats and Seattle to lose to Green Bay.

The NFC West division race is red-hot. The Arizona Cardinals, though, are ice cold entering Week 15, having lost three straight games and dropping to third place after being in the division lead just three weeks ago.

The Seattle Seahawks sit in the lead now at 8-5. The Los Angeles Rams improved to 8-6 with a 12-6 road win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Cardinals face the 3-10 New England Patriots at home and Seattle hosts the 9-4 Green Bay Packers Sunday night.

The Cardinals need a win and a Seattle loss to keep things tight.

In that scenario, the Rams would lead the division, holding a tiebreaker over an 8-6 Seahawks, and the Cardinals would trail by a game.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

How the Cardinals can still win the NFC West

A look at the possible scenarios for the Cardinals to win the division over the final four games of the season.

The Arizona Cardinals have almost completely choked away their chances of winning the NFC West. They were 6-4 heading into their bye week and in first place, having won four straight games. Now after three consecutive losses, including two to the Seattle Seahawks, their chances are fading.

They are 6-7, two games behind the 8-5 Seahawks (who also now own a head-to-head tiebreaker over them) and one behind the 7-6 L.A. Rams.

But they still can win the NFC West. They just need some help.

It is possible, though.

The Cardinals have the following teams left on the schedule:

  • 3-10 New England Patriots
  • 3-10 Carolina Panthers
  • 7-6 Rams
  • 6-7 San Francisco 49ers

The Seahawks have these opponents:

  • 9-4 Green Bay Packers
  • 11-2 Minnesota Vikings
  • 4-9 Chicago Bears
  • 7-6 Rams

The Rams have these opponents:

  • 6-7 49ers
  • 3-10 New York Jets
  • 6-7 Cardinals
  • 8-5 Seahawks

How the Cardinals can still win the NFC West

The simplest way for the Cardinals to win the division is to win all four of their remaining games, something that is possible. They would be 10-7.

Because the Rams are on the schedule, if the Cardinals go 10-7, the best the Rams could finish would also be 10-7, but the Cardinals would own a 2-0 head-to-head tiebreaker over them.

However, the Seahawks can only win one more game in that scenario. If the Cardinals and Rams are 10-7 and the Seahawks are 9-8, the Cardinals win the division.

What if there is a three-way tie at 10-7?

According to the ESPN playoff machine, if the Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks all finish 10-7, the Cardinals would win the division.

How? Well, the Rams would hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over Seattle and Arizona would hold one over the Rams, while Seattle owns one over the Cardinals. The tiebreaker would move to division records. The Cardinals would be 4-2 in the division, L.A. would be 4-2 and Seattle would be 3-3. Seattle would be out and the Cardinals make it over the Rams thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker.

What if there is a three-way tie at 9-8?

This is tricky.

The Cardinals will win the division if they beat both the Rams and the 49ers to end the season and the Rams beat the Seahawks in Week 18. It would not matter how the Rams split their games in Weeks 15 and 16 against the 49ers and the Jets.

Any other combination results in the Cardinals not winning the division. At 9-8, they only win the division if they beat the Rams and the Niners and if the Rams beat Seattle to end the season.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.