Tag: NFC playoff picture

What are the Commanders’ chances of making the NFL playoffs?

The Commanders’ chances look good.

The Washington Commanders defeated the Tennessee Titans 42-19 Sunday to head into their bye week with an 8-5 record. With the win, Washington remains the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff picture.

The surprise Commanders began the season 7-2 before a three-game losing streak dropped them to 7-5. Washington led the NFC East for much of the season until the Eagles surpassed them in Week 10.

With Green Bay’s loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football, Washington is now only a game behind the Packers for the No. 6 seed. That could be a critical playoff position, as the No. 7 seed is likely heading to either Detroit or Philadelphia.

Here’s a look at the NFC’s playoff picture entering Week 14.

  1. Detroit Lions (12-1)
  2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2)
  3. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
  4. Atlanta Falcons (6-6)
  5. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
  6. Green Bay Packers (9-4)
  7. Washington Commanders (8-5)

In the hunt

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)
  • Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
  • Los Angeles Rams (6-6)
  • San Franciso 49ers (5-7)

What are Washington’s chances of making the postseason after Sunday’s win? Let’s take a look.

Unless the Commanderso completely fall apart, they are in good shape. Washington is off this week and head to New Orleans to face the Saints in Week 15. It will be Marshon Lattimore’s first game for the Commanders, facing his old team.

Cardinals’ Week 14 game vs. Seahawks has huge playoff implications

The winner is in control of the NFC West. The loser, especially if it is the Cardinals, will face near impossible odds of overcoming it.

The Arizona Cardinals have their most important game of the season on Sunday. In Week 14, they will face the Seattle Seahawks at home, the second time they face them in three weeks.

The Seahawks lead the NFC West at 7-5, while the Cardinals trail them in second place by a game at 6-6. It is huge because a win puts them back in control of their fate as a division title contender.

Win and they improve to 7-6 and take over first place with a divisional tiebreaker over Seattle. Lose and they will trail Seattle by two games and lose the head-to-head tiebreaker, essentially making them trail Seattle by three games with only four remaining on the schedule.

If they lose, they would have to win out to get to 10-7 and Seattle could only win one of their final four games.

It creates a huge swing in playoff chances.

According to FTN Fantasy’s Aaron Schatz, the Seahawks-Cardinals game is the biggest one in the playoff race.


Whoever wins is highly likely to make the postseason, as it will put the division firmly in their control. Whoever loses is near elimination.

This season has so far exceeded expectations for the Cardinals. But a loss would be a huge disappointment. A win would build the momentum they need for the rest of 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.

 

A couple ways 49ers can miraculously still win NFC West

The San Francisco 49ers playoff chances are slim, but there’s still a (narrow) path to them winning the NFC West.

It appears on the surface like the San Francisco 49ers hunt for an NFC West title is over following a second consecutive blowout loss in Week 13.

The Buffalo Bills annihilated the 49ers 35-10 at Highmark Stadium just one week after the Green Bay Packers thumped them 38-10. Those two losses were preceded by a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and after 12 games the 49ers are at 5-7 and alone in last place in the NFC West.

As the injuries pile up alongside the losses, it’s hard to believe there’s any real chance the 49ers find a way to win the NFC West for a third consecutive season.  Alas, there is a chance.

The 49ers could win out and finish 10-7 while the other clubs stumble down the stretch to worse finishes. San Francisco could even lose one of their final five to finish 9-8 while the rest of the division dukes it out to 8-9 finishes or worse.

But what if they wind up tied?

Here are a couple of different ways that could look:

San Francisco 49ers (5-7)

Week 14 vs. Chicago Bears: Win
Week 15 vs. Los Angeles Rams: Win
Week 16 at Miami Dolphins: Win
Week 17 vs. Detroit Lions: Loss
Week 18 at Arizona Cardinals: Win

Record: (9-8)

Note: We can flip the Dolphins and Lions games and this still works.

Seattle Seahawks (7-5)

Week 14 at Arizona Cardinals: Loss
Week 15 vs. Green Bay Packers: Loss
Week 16 vs. Minnesota Vikings: Win
Week 17 at Chicago Bears: Win
Week 18 at Los Angeles Rams: Loss

Record: (9-8)

Note: The key for San Francisco is that the Seahawks lose to Arizona and then two of their final four. 

Arizona Cardinals (6-6)

Week 14 vs. Seattle Seahawks: Win
Week 15 vs. New England Patriots: Win
Week 16 at Carolina Panthers: Win
Week 17 at Los Angeles Rams: Loss
Week 18 vs. San Francisco 49ers: Loss

Record: (9-8)

Note: The 49ers just need Arizona to beat Seattle. The rest of them don’t matter.

Los Angeles Rams (6-6)

Week 14 vs. Buffalo Bills: Loss
Week 15 at San Francisco 49ers: Loss
Week 16 at New York Jets: Loss
Week 17 vs. Arizona Cardinals: Win
Week 18 vs. Seattle Seahawks: Win

Record: (8-9)

Note: San Francisco needs the Rams to win those last two NFC West games unless Seattle stumbles and drops two against the NFC North. Then a Seahawks win over the Rams in Week 18 doesn’t affect much. 

In this above situation, the 49ers would win the three-way tiebreaker with the Cardinals and Seahawks because they’d own a 6-6 record in the conference. The three-way tiebreakers in the NFL start at head-to-head matchups, but all the teams split their division games, which also eliminates the division record tiebreaker. They also have the same record in common games with each team landing at 5-5 in their common matchups.

That turns the tiebreaker to conference record where the 49ers would somehow have an edge. San Francisco in this scenario would finish 6-6 against NFC teams, while the Rams and Seahawks would both wrap up at 5-7, lifting the 49ers over both to a home playoff game on wild card weekend as the NFC West champions.

This scenario also works if one of the Seahawks or Cardinals lose an additional game or two and land at 8-9 or worse. San Francisco would still hold tiebreakers over both clubs in a two-team tiebreaker battle.

What about a 4-way tie?

If the Seahawks lose to both the Packers and Vikings, then beat the Rams in Week 18, while the Rams earned victories over the Bills in Week 14 and Jets in Week 16, it would give the 49ers a division win in a four-way tie.

Alas, these scenarios are hyper-specific with not a lot of wiggle room because of the tiebreakers. Still, there’s a modicum of hope for the optimists looking for something to cling to entering Week 14.

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NFC playoff picture: Where the Rams stand after Week 13 win

The Rams are currently 10th in the NFC and their playoff odds sit at 20% through Week 13

The Los Angeles Rams got a much-needed win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon, bouncing back from a 37-20 loss in Week 12. They overcame a 6-0 halftime deficit and scored 21 points in the second half to steal a win from the Saints, improving their record to 6-6 on the year.

With five games remaining, the Rams are still alive in the playoff race and sit just one game back of the division lead, currently held by the 7-5 Seahawks.

The Rams face a huge test against the Bills in Week 14, going up against a 10-2 team that has won seven in a row and scored at least 30 points in six straight. If they can somehow take down the Bills, the Rams will be in even better shape heading into the final stretch.

Below is a look at the current standings in the NFC.

  1. Lions: 11-1
  2. Eagles: 10-2
  3. Seahawks: 7-5
  4. Falcons: 6-6
  5. Vikings: 10-2
  6. Packers: 9-3
  7. Commanders: 8-5
  8. Buccaneers: 6-6
  9. Cardinals: 6-6
  10. Rams: 6-6
  11. 49ers: 5-7
  12. Cowboys: 5-7

Through Week 13, the Rams are 10th in the conference. NFL.com estimates that their playoff odds sit at 20% entering the final five games, so they’re not close to assured a spot in the postseason just yet.

What’s keeping their odds lower is the fact that their clearest path to the playoffs is with a division title because they’re two games back of the Commanders for the final wild-card spot, with the Bucs and Cardinals also ahead of LA in the standings.

The Seahawks and Cardinals play each other in Week 14 so in a best-case scenario, Arizona and the Rams both win, creating a three-way tie for first in the NFC West at 7-6.

However, if the Seahawks and Rams both win, Seattle will remain one game ahead. The Rams have already beaten the Seahawks once, which means their Week 18 showdown could end up being for the division title.

Why NFL Week 13 results were so damaging for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers’ playoff hopes are fading fast.

The San Francisco 49ers‘ playoff hopes are fading fast.

With its 35-10 loss at Buffalo on Sunday night, the 49ers have now dropped three straight to sink to 5-7 on the season.

The blowout loss also marked the first time since 2015 and just the fourth time in franchise history that San Francisco has lost back-to-back games by 25 points or more.

San Francisco entered Week 13 just a game outside first place in the NFC West, but the 49ers exit the week in the division’s cellar.

The Seattle Seahawks used a 92-yard pick-six from defensive end Leonard Williams to flip an early 21-7 deficit into an eventual 26-21 win at the New York Jets. The Seahawks improved to 7-5 with the win.

Seattle has now won three straight dating back to its 20-17 Week 11 win at San Francisco.

Thanks to Minnesota‘s rally over Arizona, Seattle now owns sole possession of first place in the NFC West.

Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold connected with running back Aaron Jones for a 5-yard score with 1:13 left to play. Then, Vikings cornerback Shaquill Griffin sealed the 23-22 victory with his interception of Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray on the ensuing possession.

The loss drops Arizona to 6-6 on the season and one game out of first place.

The Los Angeles Rams stayed within striking distance thanks to a 21-14 win at the New Orleans Saints. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Demarcus Robinson and Puka Nacua in the fourth quarter to help Los Angeles improve to 6-6.

Sitting in the cellar and now two games out of first place, San Francisco will close its 2024 season with games versus Chicago, versus the Los Angeles Rams, at Miami, versus Detroit and at Arizona.

Updated NFC playoff picture after Week 13

The NFC playoff standings didn’t change after Week 13 but a couple of divisional races are changing.

With one game remaining on the NFL schedule in Week 13, everyone in the NFC has played so we know what the NFC playoff picture looks like.

In terms of the seven playoff seeds in the conference, nothing has changed.

These are the updated NFL playoff picture standings in the NFC:

  1. Detroit Lions, 11-1
  2. Philadelphia Eagles, 10-2
  3. Seattle Seahawks, 7-5
  4. Atlanta Falcons, 6-6
  5. Minnesota Vikings, 10-2
  6. Green Bay Packers, 9-3
  7. Washington Commanders, 8-5

The Falcons were the only team not to win their game in Week 13.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams are in the mix at 6-6.

In the NFC South, things have tightened. The Bucs and Falcons are tied at 6-6. Atlanta has lost three games in a row, while Tampa has won two straight, but Atlanta, having beaten the Bucs twice this season, holds a head-to-head tiebreaker.

In the NFC West, the Seahawks pulled a game ahead of Arizona. They rallied from 14 points down to beat the New York Jets 26-21, while the Cardinals blew a 13-point lead to the Vikings to lose 23-22. The Rams even their record at 6-6 as well.

Week 14 games with playoff implications

  • The Packers and Lions play Thursday night in Detroit.
  • The Falcons face the Vikings on the road.
  • The Eagles host the 3-9 Carolina Panthers.
  • The Bucs host the 2-10 Las Vegas Raiders, giving them the opportunity to take over the division lead if the Falcons lose to the Vikings.
  • The Cardinals host the Seahawks. A win puts them back in first place in the NFC West.

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.

 

Updated Seahawks playoff odds heading into Week 13

Updated Seahawks playoff odds heading into Week 13

The Seattle Seahawks captured a massive victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12. Mike Macdonald’s squad enters Sunday’s Week 13 showdown versus the New York Jets having won back-to-back NFC West divisional games against the Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. Seattle’s postseason odds have been drastically altered as a result.

The Seahawks now possess approximately a 29% chance to make the playoffs, according to ESPN’s Analytics department. ESPN’s predictive model gives Seattle a ~25% chance to win the NFC West division title, which they currently lead via the tiebreaker. Seattle’s remaining strength of schedule is 10th-hardest in the league, per Brady Henderson.

Prior to Sunday’s victory over the Cardinals, Seattle’s postseason odds stood at 11%, according to The Athletic’s playoff model. It more than doubled following Macdonald’s second straight win. Their odds of winning the NFC West stood at just 8 percent.

The Seahawks possess four remaining road contests (@ NYJ, @ ARZ, @ CHI, @ LAR) and just two home games (GB, MIN). Seattle’s next two matchups are on the road, including a rematch with the Cardinals. They’ll conclude their regular-season campaign with a road divisional game with the Los Angeles Rams. Their home dates are against consecutive NFC North opponents with Green Bay and Minnesota in Weeks 15 and 16.

A victory over the Jets on Sunday would further increase Seattle’s postseason chances.

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Kyle Shanahan discusses 49ers’ sense of urgency with playoff hopes dwindling

Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers know that they have very little margin for error moving forward.

After an embarrassing 38-10 loss at the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers are running out of room for future errors.

The loss dropped San Francisco to 5-6 and saw the 49ers lose back-to-back games for the second time this season.

Fortunately for San Francisco’s sake, no team has truly grabbed hold of and seized command of the wide-open NFC West. Even with its current record, San Francisco is level with the Los Angeles Rams and sits just one game back of the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals who are each 6-5 after Week 12 action.

Looking at the overall NFC Playoff picture, though, a division crown could very well be the only pathway forward into the postseason for the 49ers.

San Francisco saw firsthand on Sunday the strength of the NFC North. The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Packers appear poised to swallow up three playoff bids and the NFC East looks like a two-bid division with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.

In his meeting with the media on Monday, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed the sense of urgency that he and the 49ers know they need to have moving forward.

“Yeah, without a doubt. I think everyone knows. You’ve just got to look at it for a couple minutes to realize where we’re at. It’s nice when you’re one game out of first in your own division. So that does say a lot, especially being able to play two of those teams left of our six games.

“But you also know, you look at the whole NFC picture and if you don’t win the division, it’s 10-7 not guaranteed to get in as a Wild Card by any means this year. So I think everyone understands completely outside and inside what the situation is,” Shanahan said.

As Shanahan also discussed, it’s why the 49ers’ consecutive losses versus the Seattle Seahawks and at the Green Bay Packers the past two weeks sting so much.

“That’s why that Seattle game was so tough of a loss and that’s why last night was even worse. We know what we got ahead of us. We know exactly what that playoff situation is. That is what it is,” Shanahan said.

Now that it’s dug itself a hole, San Francisco truly can’t think much beyond the task at hand.

“But really all that matters is this week. When you do need to go on a run and put a lot of wins to even think of that, then you better make sure you’re only thinking of one thing and that’s Buffalo.

“And so, we’ve had to take care of a lot of stuff today. I’m hoping that guys will take care of their bodies stuff here over the day and a half they’re away from us. We’ll come back Wednesday fully understanding the situation we’re in and coming back ready to fight because that’s all we can do right now is just fight our butts off. And I’ll be very surprised that not every guy in this building when I see them Wednesday isn’t ready for that exact mindset that we’re going to need to pull off what we feel we can,” Shanahan said.

If San Francisco can win at Buffalo (9-2) this week, that will go a long way toward restoring the belief that this team can make a push during the season’s stretch run.

After Buffalo, the 49ers close with games versus Chicago, versus the Los Angeles Rams, at Miami, versus Detroit and at Arizona.

The current NFC Playoff picture looks like this:

1. Detroit Lions (10-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
5. Minnesota Vikings (9-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (8-3)
7. Washington Commanders (7-5)

Arizona is just outside the playoff picture in eighth place, while San Francisco is in a logjam with fellow 5-6 squads Tampa Bay and Los Angeles.

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NFC playoff picture after Week 12

In Week 12, only one team changed in the NFC playoff race standings, but things got tighter.

One game remains on the NFL schedule in Week 12 but it is between two AFC teams, meaning the NFL playoff picture in the NFC is clear as we enter Week 13.

Only one change in the playoff picture changed, although things tightened in a pair of divisions.

Here is what the NFC playoff standings currently look like:

  1. Detroit Lions, 10-1
  2. Philadelphia Eagles, 9-2
  3. Seattle Seahawks, 6-5
  4. Atlanta Falcons, 6-5
  5. Minnesota Vikings, 9-2
  6. Green Bay Packers, 8-3
  7. Washington Commanders, 7-5

The Arizona Cardinals rank eighth at 6-5 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are ninth at 5-6.

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are still in the mix as well at 5-6 at Nos. 10 and 11, respectively.

The only change in the standings was Seattle. They took over the NFC West lead with a 16-6 head-to-head win over Arizona in Seattle. They are third ahead of Atlanta because they hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Falcons.

The NFC South got tighter with Tampa’s 30-7 win over the New York Giants. They pulled within a game of idle Atlanta, although the Falcons do hold a 2-0 head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bucs.

The Lions, Eagles, Vikings and Packers all won their games in Week 12. Washington lost 34-26 to the Dallas Cowboys, their third consecutive loss.

Week 13 schedule with playoff picture implications

  • The Lions host the 4-7 Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day.
  • The Packers host the 5-6 Miami Dolphins who have won three games in a row Thanksgiving night.
  • The Falcons host the 7-3 Los Angeles Chargers.
  • The Vikings host the Cardinals on Sunday.
  • The Seahawks play the 3-8 New York Jets on the road on Sunday.
  • The Commanders host the 3-8 Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
  • The Bucs are on the road to face the 3-8 Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
  • The Rams are on the road on Sunday taking on the 4-7 New Orleans Saints.
  • The Eagles face the 7-4 Baltimore Ravens on the road on Sunday.
  • The 49ers play Sunday night on the road against the 9-2 Buffalo Bills.

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 kept themselves from perfect NFC West weekend

The Cardinals had the help they needed from the Eagles and Packers. They didn’t take care of their own business with the Seahawks.

The Arizona Cardinals could have had a perfect Week 12 in the NFC West. Depending on the outcomes of their game with the Seattle Seahawks and the games the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams had, they could have extended their lead in the division over all them.

A win over the Seahawks and a loss by the 49ers and Rams would have given Arizona a two-game lead over everyone, sitting at 7-4 with the rest of the division at 5-6.

The 49ers, playing without QB Brock Purdy, LT Trent Williams, DE Nick Bosa and CB Charvarius Ward, were blown out by the Green Bay Packers 38-10. The Rams gave up 255 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to RB Saquon Barkley in a 37-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, Arizona couldn’t do their job. They lost to Seattle 16-6, failing to score a touchdown and mustering only 298 total yards.

Now the Seahawks and Cardinals are both 6-5 but Seattle holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over Arizona, putting them in first place.

Arizona and Seattle are both on the road in Week 13. The Cardinals face the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings, while the Seahawks take on the 3-8 New York Jets.

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.