Tag: 2022 NFC Playoff Race

Commanders still in NFC playoff chase

A look at the NFC playoff picture for Week 16.

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As the Washington Commanders travel to San Francisco to battle the 49ers, the NFC playoff race is starting to take shape.

The 49ers and Vikings with wins last week, clinched their respective divisions, while the Eagles and Cowboys have clinched playoff berths.

Had the Commanders defeated the Giants last week, they could have clinched a playoff spot with a win this week and a Giants, Seahawks or Lions loss.

The Commanders have three games remaining (at 49ers, Browns, Cowboys) and they currently are in the final playoff spot at the No. 7 seed. Being at the No. 7 seed, if the Commanders finish at No. 7, they would be matched against the No. 2 seed, which currently is the Vikings.

The Giants, the No. 6 seed are at the Vikings, host the Colts, and at the Eagles. If the Giants retain the 6th seed position, they would face the No. 3 seed in the NFC, currently the 49ers.

The Seahawks and Lions are both 7-7, and one-half game back of the Commanders (7-6-1). The Seahawks in the final three weeks go to the Chiefs, and then host the Jets and Rams . While the Lions go to the Panthers, host the Bears and are at the Packers. The Seahawks have a win against both the Lions and the Giants.

The NFC South is as bad as the NFC East was in 2020. Washington won the East at 7-9, while currently the Bucs are 6-8, one game ahead of the Falcons, Panthers and Saints, each at 5-9.

2022 NFL season is one of huge pendulum swings

It’s been a wild NFL season thus far for multiple teams.

It’s been a wild NFL season of huge pendulum swings in 2022.

Several teams are really up or really down in the NFC this season.

The Commanders started their season winning the opener over the Jaguars but then dropped four consecutive games. At 1-4, they narrowly escaped Chicago with a 12-7 win. Though they lost quarterback Carson Wentz to a broken finger, the Commanders with Taylor Heinicke behind center are 5-1-1, raising their record to 7-5-1.

The Giants are also 7-5-1; however, they are trending downward because they began the season 6-1. Thus, they are 1-4-1 in their last six games. They still have games with Washington, Philadelphia and Minnesota remaining.

Hard to believe, but the 49ers were actually 4-4 six weeks ago. Now the 49ers have put together five consecutive wins, are 9-4 and their rookie quarterback Brock Purdy looks like a huge find for the team in last year’s final round.

The Lions entered the season having accumulated double-digit loss seasons the last four consecutive seasons. After defeating the Commanders (36-27) in week two, the Lions proceeded to lose five straight, falling to 1-6. But the Lions have now won five of their last six, only losing a very close, competitive Thanksgiving Day battle to the Bills (28-25).

The Panthers were 1-5, they have fired head coach Matt Rhule, have traded Christian McCaffrey, released Baker Mayfield and yet, the Panthers are 5-8, still alive, having accomplished a huge 30-24 road win in Seattle.

On the other side of the coin, consider the defending NFC and Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. The Rams were 3-3, and then the bottom fell out, and they dropped six straight games. Hard to believe a single returning player or coach thought in training camp, they could potentially lose six straight games.

With four weeks remaining, don’t be surprised when more surprises occur.

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Commanders given two gifts in NFL Week 14

It was a good day for the Commanders who didn’t even play Sunday.

The Washington Commanders were given two early Christmas gifts Sunday in Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season.

In the early 1 p.m. ET time slot of games, the Eagles scored the first 21 points on their way to an easy 48-22 win over the Giants at the Meadowlands. The Giants’ loss means their record now stands at 7-5-1, identical with Washington heading toward NBC’s Sunday Night game of the Week at FedEx Field next Sunday, December 18.

The Commanders could only manage a tie with the Giants (20-20) in their Week 13 contest also played at the Giants’ home field, MetLife Stadium. However, the Eagles certainly had no such obstacles with the Giants, leading by as much as 48-14. The Eagles accumulated 437 total yards of offense, averaging 6.6 yards per play. Perhaps the most telling statistic is the Eagles out-rushed the Giants 253 to 123. This game was never in doubt.

The second gift Washington was given Sunday transpired when the Carolina Panthers, with only four wins this season, went out to Seattle and surprised the Seahawks 30-24. The Panthers dominated the line of scrimmage, rushing for 223 yards while limiting the Seahawks to 46. As a result, the Panthers possessed the ball 39:16 to only 20:44 for the Seahawks.

The win was great for the Commanders because the Seahawks now fall to 7-6 overall, behind the Commanders (7-5-1) in the race for the NFC playoffs. Consequently, on their bye week, the Commanders could not have asked for much more, passing the Seahawks and drawing even with the Giants (7-5-1).

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Commanders and the NFC playoff race for Week 13

A look at the complete NFC playoff picture for Week 13 and how some matchups will impact the standings.

Eagles   (10-1)

Vikings  (9-2)

49ers   (7-4)

Buccaneers (5-6)

Cowboys  (8-3)

Giants  (7-4)

Commanders (7-5)

Seahawks (6-5)

Falcons (5-7)

Week 13 is going to bring some great matchups with NFC playoff implications.

The Commanders (7-5) travel to face the Giants (7-4). A win for the Giants, and they are up two games in the loss column on the Commanders. A win for the Commanders and they are up in the win column and have a half-game lead on the Giants going into their bye week.

Cowboy fans will be interested to see if the Titans (7-4) can knock off the NFC East-leading Eagles (10-1). The Cowboys currently the fifth seed at 8-3, should be well rested, having not played since Thanksgiving Day and they also are home to the Colts (4-7-1).

The Seahawks (6-5) now sitting in eighth place travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams (3-8).  However the Rams are really struggling this season, and frankly, we don’t yet know when (or if) Matthew Stafford will return.

The 49ers currently in the third seed position at 7-4, host the Dolphins (8-3) in what might be a very competitive game.

Commanders fans will recall how weak the NFC East was in 2020 when Washington won the division at 7-9. That might be the NFC South this season. The Buccaneers are the fourth seed though only earning a 5-6 record thus far. They host the Saints (4-8) on this week’s Monday Night Football.

Don’t overlook the Falcons (5-7). They host the Steelers this week. A Falcons win and a Bucs loss then the Falcons leap from the ninth seed to the fourth seed.

 

Commanders and Giants to battle for NFC playoff spot

It’s been a while since Washington and New York have played meaningful December football against one another.

It’s been 7 NFL seasons since Washington and New York played meaningful, important games in December against each other.

The Commanders, on Sunday, go to New York to face the Giants (7-4) who are in the 6th position, one-half game ahead of Washington. The oddity of the Washington schedule is going to be magnified greatly because both teams are unexpectedly in playoff contention as we enter December.

Consequently, Washington will play at the Giants on Dec. 4, enjoy its bye week on Dec. 11 and then turn right around and host the Giants in their next game on Dec. 18. Thus, both games will have large playoff implications, and for both teams.

The last time Washington and the Giants faced each other late in the season with both teams in playoff contention was 2016.  The Giants (10-5) had locked up a spot in the NFC playoffs. They traveled to meet Washington (8-6-1) at FedEx Field. The game meant everything for Washington, who with a win, would qualify for the playoffs. Yet, it was the Giants who from the opening kickoff, played with motivation and purpose, ending Washington’s season with a 19-10 victory.

This season the Giants have lost both of their games within the division, having lost twice to Dallas. Washington is 1-2 within the division, having lost to Philadelphia and at Dallas and defeating the Eagles in Philadelphia. Washington is 4-4 in the conference, while the Giants are 3-4 against the NFC.

If you are interested, Washington has the higher strength of schedule (.515 – .456) and also the higher strength of victory over the Giants (.395 -.381).

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Commanders in 8th place for NFC playoff position

The Commanders are in a good position with seven games remaining, but they must continue to win.

Going through a four-game losing streak to start the season 1-4, it seemed highly unlikely Commanders fans would be talking the team possibly making the playoffs.

In fact, after a Week 5 loss to the Titans at FedEx Field, Twitter was suddenly being populated by Commanders fans talking about tanking the rest of the 2022 season to ensure as high a 2023 first-round selection as possible. There were also others certainly talking about draft position after only five weeks of the season.

Yet, here we are after ten weeks, and the Commanders are 5-5 sitting by themselves in the No. 8 position. The Eagles, Vikings, Seahawks and Bucs have the top four spots in that order. The three wildcard spots, for now, are held by the Giants (7-2), Cowboys (6-3) and 49ers (5-4).

Then the Commanders (5-5) lead the Falcons and Cardinals, both at 4-6. The Packers, having lost at home to the Titans Thursday night, fell back to 4-7.

This week’s schedule for the teams currently in wild card positions (5 through 7), the Giants are hosting the Lions (3-6), the Cowboys go to the Vikings (8-1) and the 49ers travel to the Cardinals (4-6).

The Commanders take to the road to play the Texans (1-7-1), while the Falcons, one game back of the Commanders, host the Bears (3-7).

In the last decade, Washington has won the NFC East three times (2012, 2015, 2020). Washington has not earned a wild card spot since the 2007 season.