NFC Playoff picture heading into Week 12

(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) NFC East Dallas Cowboys 6-4 It still feels like Dallas should be better than it is. The Cowboys have a talented defense but give up too many points. They have a stud running back but go to Ezekiel Elliott …

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys 6-4

It still feels like Dallas should be better than it is. The Cowboys have a talented defense but give up too many points. They have a stud running back but go to Ezekiel Elliott too often on early downs. Dak Prescott is an MVP candidate. Dallas almost needs to win this game against the Patriots because the Eagles have an extremely easy schedule after Week 12. It’s a weird situation.

Remaining Games: @Patriots, Bills, @Bears, Rams, @Eagles, Redskins

Philadelphia Eagles 5-5

The Eagles are the new Falcons. Everyone expects them to win but they do something every other game that makes us question whether they are actually good. Their defensive injuries have now transitioned to the offense. If Philadelphia can beat the Seahawks this week, they could end up 10-6 or 11-5. It’s all very odd. The NFC East could come down to the Week 16 game against Dallas.

Remaining Games: Seahawks, @Dolphins, Giants, @Redskins, Cowboys, @Giants

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49ers stay ahead in NFC playoff race

The 49ers got a huge win in their race for a first-round bye.

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The 49ers’ Week 11 showdown with the Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium was massive for the home team. Arizona entered at 3-6-1, firmly out of the NFC playoff race, but San Francisco desperately needed the win.

Had they lost, they would’ve dropped from the top seed in the NFC to the No. 5 seed, with the idle Seattle Seahawks leapfrogging them for the top spot in the NFC West. They pulled out a 36-26 win though, and kept themselves a full game ahead of the three teams immediately behind them in the playoff hunt.

Here’s what the NFC playoff picture looks like following Sunday’s action:

1. 49ers (9-1)
2. Packers (8-2)
3. Saints (8-2)
4. Cowboys (6-4)
5. Seahawks (8-2)
6. Vikings (8-3)

Barring a dramatic turn, these are likely the six teams that’ll be playing in December, but the order could change. Dallas is also just a game up on the 5-5 Eagles in the NFC East, so that No. 4 seed could get a shake up too.

What matters most for the 49ers though was their come-from-behind victory Sunday afternoon. A loss would’ve put them in a very difficult spot at 8-2, with the No. 5 seed, and going into a stretch where they face the Packers, Ravens and Saints in consecutive weeks. Having the full game of cushion gives them an opportunity to create separation over these next three weeks. It also allows them to stumble against one of the top teams without completely sinking their season.

Sunday’s win wasn’t easy for San Francisco, but it was huge in their chase for a playoff spot and first-round bye.

NFC Playoff picture: Where the Eagles stand after loss to the Patriots

NFC Playoff Picture: Where the Eagles stand after loss to the Patriots

The Philadelphia Eagles are now 5-5 on the season after a heartbreaking 17-10 loss to the Patriots at home on Sunday afternoon. Even with the loss, Philadelphia still controls its own destiny on the journey to winning the NFC East.

With the Cowboys win in Detroit on Sunday, the Eagles are now a full game back in the division and currently would be the 8th seed in any playoff format. The NFC only invites six, so the Eagles have some work to do.

Here are your current NFC standings:

National Football Conference

1. San Francisco 49ers 9-1

2. Green Bay Packers 8-2

3. New Orleans Saints 8-2

4. Seattle Seahawks 8-2

5. Minnesota Vikings 8-3

6. Dallas Cowboys 6-4

7. LA Rams 6-4

8. Philadelphia Eagles 5-5

9. Carolina Panthers 5-5

Here’s how the Cowboys and Eagles schedule breaks down from here on out.

WK 12 – Cowboys @ Patriots / Seahawks @ Eagles
WK 13 – Bills @ Cowboys / Eagles @ Dolphins
WK 14 – Cowboys @ Bears / Giants @ Eagles
WK 15 – Rams @ Cowboys / Eagles @ Redskins
WK 16 – Cowboys @ Eagles (For The Division)
WK 17 – Redskins @ Cowboys / Eagles @ Giants

New Orleans Saints fan rooting guide for every game in Week 11

The New Orleans Saints are playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11, but there’s other games on tap. Here’s the Saints fan rooting guide.

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The NFL’s calendar is turning towards Week 11, with plenty of action ahead outside of the New Orleans Saints’ road game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here’s who Saints fans should pull for in every game this weekend. All odds are sourced from BetMGM.

Around the NFC South

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers. Tough as it may be to accept, Saints fans should pull for a Falcons win on Sunday. It’s fine if that’s unacceptable; it’s never fun to root for the enemy. Especially when the Panthers are favored by 5.5 points. Ideally, both rival NFC South teams would lose. But Carolina is a closer threat to New Orleans’ lead on the division title, and a Falcons victory here hurts their draft positioning — possibly keeping them from landing some real help like Ohio State Buckeyes prospect Chase Young. Hold your nose and root for Atlanta.

Painting the NFC Playoff Picture

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers favored by 11.5 points, even if the Cardinals played them very close a few weeks ago. San Francisco finally suffered its first loss in prime time (to the NFC West-rival Seattle Seahawks) and another upset would do a lot to help the Saints’ chances of securing a top-two seed in the NFC playoffs. Give Arizona your support.

Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings. This one should be easy enough given Denver’s issues at quarterback, and the Vikings are favored by 10.5 points. Still, root for the underdog if you’re watching this one. The Vikings are right in the thick of the NFC North title race with the Green Bay Packers, and there’s something to be said for encouraging chaos in that division. Still, the fewer rival teams with momentum behind them is better for the Saints. It’s long odds for the Broncos, but pull for them anyway.

Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams. Why is this game on Sunday Night Football? The Bears aren’t a competitive football team with Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback, and Chicago is in too deep now to pull him out of the lineup. So we’re stuck watching him try to avoid Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey at the end of a long day of solid games, which isn’t very appealing considering how much trouble the Rams (who are favored by 6.5) have given New Orleans recently. Keeping the Rams mediocre and the Bears stuck with Trubisky is very much in the Saints’ interest, however, so idly root for Chicago.

Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions. This game won’t feature Matthew Stafford, who is missing his second consecutive start while dealing with a back injury. The Lions are a long-shot to make the playoffs, and their odds of beating Dallas are presumably even more destitute. But it’s always easy to pull against the Cowboys, which is what Saints fans should do here. The current NFC East front-runners have the worst record among their peers in the conference, and it’s in New Orleans’ interest for the Cowboys to remain unstable moving down the stretch.

New England Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles. The less said about this game between two insufferable teams and their associated fanbases, the better. The Patriots are favored by 3.5; Saints fans should check that box and keep it moving.

Leftovers and Lagniappe

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts. The Colts are one of the Saints’ few remaining AFC opponents, and they’re favored by 3.5 points despite having laid an egg against the Miami Dolphins last week. Root for the Jaguars to keep them off-kilter and unbalanced moving forwards.

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs. This should be a decent Monday Night Football from Mexico, and the Chiefs are favored by 4.5. Saints fans don’t have a rooting interest so pull for the underdog Chargers to add some chaos to the AFC playoff picture.

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens. This is the game that should be on Sunday Night Football, with two of the NFL’s most exciting young quarterbacks in Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson. But it isn’t, so you’ll be forgiven for switching over to it when the Saints are on commercial break. The Ravens are favored by 4.5, putting Watson into underdog mode, which may be when he plays his best football.

New York Jets at Washington Redskins. This is going to be an ugly game, with both teams lacking inspiring quarterback play and firepower. The Redskins are slightly favored by 2.5 points, and a win would keep team owner Dan Snyder on the same course in which he’s made countless bad decisions. Keeping a one-contending franchise in the gutter is great for New Orleans, so root for Washington in this instance.

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins. The Bills are favored by 6.5, but the Dolphins have so many former Saints players (linebacker Vince Biegel, cornerback Ken Crawley, punt returner Marcus Sherels) that they’re an easy choice for Saints fans to root for. Pull for the underdog Dolphins on Sunday.

Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders. The Saints won’t play either of these teams any time soon (they are scheduled to face the Raiders in Las Vegas next year, however) and it would be great to see an Oakland fanbase that’s lacked good memories lately get another one this week. The Raiders are favored by 10.5, and any Saints fans watching should call for them to they cover.

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NFC playoff picture: Panthers hanging by a thread going into Week 11

Here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture going into Week 11.

Losing to the Packers did serious damage to the Panthers’ playoff hopes for 2019. The loss dropped their season record to 5-4 and their chances of making the postseason to just 18 percent.

Here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture going into Week 11.

Playoff teams

1. San Francisco 49ers (8-1)
2. Green Bay Packers (8-2)
3. New Orleans Saints (7-2)
4. Dallas Cowboys (5-4)
5. Seattle Seahawks (8-2)
6. Minnesota Vikings (7-3)

Still in the race

7. Los Angeles Rams (5-4)
8. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)
9. Carolina Panthers (5-4)

There’s not much room for error, here. Earlier in the season, the Panthers pulled off a four-game winning streak. They may need another one in order to land a wild card spot.

Carolina’s next four opponents are the Falcons, Saints, Redskins and the Falcons again. Atlanta is just 2-7 this season and Washington (1-8) might just be the worst team in the conference. If the Panthers can find a way to upset New Orleans, winning four in a row is certainly possible.

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49ers still on top of NFC playoff picture after loss

The 49ers lost, but they’re still at the top of the NFC standings.

The 49ers on Monday suffered their first defeat of the year when the Seahawks downed them 27-24 in overtime at Levi’s Stadium.

The gut-wrenching nature of the loss to a division rival may give the 49ers’ first jaunt into the loss column an added sting, but it still counts as just one loss in the standings.

Thanks to the Saints’ loss to the Falcons, the 49ers had an extra game up on New Orleans, so they maintained their spot atop the NFC playoff picture.

Here’s how the NFC looks after Week 10 action:

Playoffs

1. 49ers (8-1)
2. Saints (7-2)
3. Packers (7-2)
4. Cowboys (5-4)
5. Seahawks (8-2)
6. Vikings (7-3)

In the hunt

7. Rams (5-4)
8. Eagles (5-4)
9. Panthers (5-4)

The 49ers are now in a spot where the Saints are further back than Seattle. San Francisco had a chance to effectively put the Seahawks away if they moved to 2.5 games up on them.

Instead, they’re now looking back at three teams nipping at their heels – the Seahawks, Saints and Packers.

The good news for the 49ers is they still control their playoff hopes. They have single games left against all three of those teams, so we could see a pretty dramatic shakeup in the NFC playoff picture down the stretch.

NFC Playoff Picture: Where do the Saints stand after Week 10?

The New Orleans Saints may have lost their Week 10 game with the Atlanta Falcons, but the NFC playoff picture is far from locked in place.

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Week 10 delivered plenty of surprises to the NFL, painting the playoff picture in sweeping, sometimes-erratic strokes. It brought big changes for some Super Bowl contenders and a painful reality check for other playoff hopefuls, the New Orleans Saints among them. The Saints may have fallen flat against the Atlanta Falcons, but they weren’t the only favorite to get upset this week. Let’s run through the games that impacted this week’s standings.

Green Bay Packers 24, Carolina Panthers 16

What a game for the Packers, who were able to run often and effectively on what’s been a mostly-strong Panthers defense. Their two-headed attack of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams combined for 156 rushing yards in a game that saw snow pile up as the afternoon drew on. Green Bay’s defense showed up with several sacks and frequently pressured newly-minted starting Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen, who put up a fight but wasn’t able to clinch a tough win on the road. Christian McCaffrey was effective as ever but ultimately came up short at the goal-line on the game’s final play.

Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Los Angeles Rams 12

The Rams hoped to rally down the stretch after the Jalen Ramsey trade, but his arrival didn’t give them enough juice to defeat the Mason Rudolph-led Steelers. Quarterback Jared Goff has continued to nosedive since signing his huge contract extension in preseason, and the Rams’ season may be sinking too fast for the rest of the team to pull him back up to competence. They’re a distant third-best in the NFC West at 5-4, but theoretically have enough time to bounce back.

Minnesota Vikings 28, Dallas Cowboys 24

This game was all about Dalvin Cook: he picked up 97 rushing yards and 86 receiving yards, giving the Cowboys defense fits throughout their Sunday Night Football matchup. His efforts were instrumental to keeping pressure off mistake-prone quarterback Kirk Cousins and finding a way to win, though Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw for nearly 400 yards in a game that was competitive down to the wire. The NFC East race is as cloudy as ever, which is good news for the Saints, who currently sit above them all in projected playoff seeding.

Seattle Seahawks 27, San Francisco 49ers 24 (OT)

A contender for the game of the year saw the 49ers receive their first loss this season, even if Seattle did its best to lose. Their best defenders (linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright) each dropped game-winning interceptions late on Monday Night Football, and the Seahawks coaching staff took the ball out of their franchise quarterback’s hands with multiple run-run-pass-punt sequences down the stretch. Still, Russell Wilson found a way to put his team in position to win, even if coach Pete Carroll made an insanely cowardly decision to punt from his own 45-yard line late in overtime. Neither of these teams should feel good about their chances of playing the Saints in the postseason.

Here’s what the projected NFC playoff picture looks like after Week 10:

NFC standings

West: 49ers (8-1)
North: Packers (8-2)
South: Saints (7-2)
East: Cowboys (5-4)
Wild card: Seahawks (8-2)
Wild card: Vikings (7-3)

In the hunt

Rams (5-4)
Eagles (5-4)
Panthers (5-4)
Bears (4-5)

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What’s at stake for 49ers in Week 10 showdown with Seahawks?

The 49ers’ hold on the top of the NFC and NFC West standings can strengthen greatly with a win over the Seahawks on Monday Night Football.

The 49ers got a victory Sunday without even playing. The New Orleans Saints fell to the Falcons 26-9 and dropped their record to 7-2. That put a little more space between the 49ers and Saints in the race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

However, the 49ers’ Monday night showdown with the Seahawks was already carrying the weight of a rekindled division rivalry. It was always going to be a huge game at Levi’s Stadium. Now it’s even heavier with a chance to put further distance between them and the rest of the NFC West, and the NFC as a whole.

Let’s take a look at what’s at stake for San Francisco on Monday night. Here’s what the NFC West standings look like after Sunday’s action:

1. 49ers (8-0)
2. Seahawks (7-2)
3. Rams (5-4)
4. Cardinals (3-6-1)

What if the 49ers win?

A 49ers win puts them at 9-0, and drops Seattle to 7-3. That’s a 2.5-game cushion with seven weeks remaining, and one more matchup waiting between these two clubs at the end of the year. It wouldn’t necessarily clinch the division, but it would put San Francisco in a spot where it would need a pretty monumental collapse to slip out of the top spot in the division.

There’s the underlying benefit of re-asserting dominance in the rivalry with Seattle – a rivalry the Seahawks owned for a half-decade. Getting a victory over a playoff team and bitter rival would validate a lot of what the 49ers have done through the first nine weeks.

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What if the 49ers lose?

It’s not the end of the world, but it stings because of how monumental a win would’ve been. The 49ers would be at 8-1 with the 8-2 Seahawks nipping at their heels. That’s not a comfortable spot to be in with games against Green Bay, New Orleans, Baltimore, and another against Seattle all looming.

It would be easy to write off as a fluke if George Kittle misses the game, and losing one out of the first nine games would still be astronomically better than most people thought San Francisco would start, but the 2.5-game vs. 0.5-game separation in the division is significant, so a home loss to the Seahawks would certainly put a dent in the 49ers’ division championship aspirations.

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There’s more than just the division to worry about though. The 49ers are in a position to snag the No. 1 overall seed and ensure the road to Super Bowl LIV goes through Levi’s Stadium.

New Orleans’ loss to Atlanta put a little breathing room between them and the 49ers for the top spot in the conference, but San Francisco can’t exhale yet. There are still plenty of conference-wide consequences for them Monday night.

Here’s what the NFC playoff picture looks like after Sunday’s games:

1. 49ers (8-0)
2. Saints (7-2)
3. Packers (7-2)
4. Cowboys (5-4)
5. Seahawks (7-2)
6. Vikings (7-3)

What if the 49ers win?

Getting the full two-game lead on the Saints and Packers would be massive considering the 49ers play both teams later in the year. Getting separation before those contests eliminates some of the pressure to win for head-to-head tiebreak purposes when the final playoff seeding comes down.

Losing to the Seahawks would squander a gift for the 49ers from Atlanta after they upset the Saints in New Orleans. They have to take advantage of any opportunity to pick up additional ground in the standings. It was already a big game had the Saints won, but their loss and the potential for a two-game lead makes it bigger.

What if the 49ers lose?

It’s not the end of the world because New Orleans did fall to the Falcons. That additional game of insurance is nice to have in the event the 49ers stumble at any point over the brutal back half of their schedule.

San Francisco would still be at the top of the NFC if Seattle emerges with the victory Monday night, but its lead would stick at one game, which is where it was entering the weekend.

While a loss wouldn’t derail the 49ers’ remarkable start, it would weaken their ability to put an early stranglehold on the top spot in the NFC, and keep them from taking a step toward home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

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