NFC playoff picture: Bubble teams like the Rams are running out of time

Here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture after Week 12.

There’s still five weeks left to play in the NFL’s 2019 regular season. We already have a good idea who’s going to be in the postseason, though.

Here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture after Week 12.

Playoff teams

1. San Francisco 49ers (10-1)
2. New Orleans Saints (9-2)
3. Green Bay Packers (8-3)
4. Dallas Cowboys (6-5)
5. Seattle Seahawks (9-2)
6. Minnesota Vikings (8-3)

Still in the race

7. Los Angeles Rams (6-5)
8. Chicago Bears (5-6)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-6)
10. Carolina Panthers (5-6)

The gap between the teams that are currently in line for a playoff spot and those that are trying to work their way in is significant. LA’s mortifying loss to the Ravens on Monday night might have made it impossible for them to catch up with Seattle and Minnesota for a wild card spot.

If there’s going to be any change, Dallas could end up losing the NFC East race to the Eagles, which would give Philly the No. 4 seed. Other than that, it’s hard to see any of the other five playoff teams dropping out at this point. The Seahawks have been winning a lot of close games and are due for some regression. It hasn’t happened yet, though. Meanwhile, the Vikings have a pretty cushy schedule to close out the year.

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Rams loss gives Vikings full 2-game lead in wild card chase

Per FiveThirtyEight, the loss drops the Rams’ chances to make the playoffs to just 14 percent.

The Rams got absolutely dominated on Monday Night Football, falling to the Ravens 45-6.

That drops the Rams to 6-5 on the season, now a full game back a playoff spot. The Vikings and Packers are both 8-3.

Per FiveThirtyEight, the loss drops the Rams’ chances to make the playoffs to just 14 percent.

Here’s what the remaining schedules look like for the Rams and Vikings:

Rams	Vikings
@Cardinals	@Seahawks
vs. Seahawks	vs. Lions
@Cowboys	@Chargers
@49ers	vs. Packers
vs. Cardinals	vs. Bears

It’s not a super easy schedule for either team, but it’s hard to imagine the Rams being able to leapfrog the Vikings in the standings, especally after last night’s game.

If the season ended today, the Vikings would be the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs.

Vikings will be cheering for Ravens on MNF

A Rams loss would give the Vikings a full two-game lead in the NFC wild-card chase.

The 8-3 Vikings didn’t play in Week 12, but they could still come out of the week as winners.

Green Bay’s loss to the 49ers on Sunday night helped the team out.

Now, if the Ravens could beat the 6-4 Rams on Monday Night Football, that would give the Vikings a full two-game lead on the wild card spot.

If the Rams do lose to the Ravens, their playoff chances drop from 25 percent to 16 percent, per FiveThirtyEight. A win would boost them up to 38 percent.

After facing off against the Ravens, the Rams play the Cardinals, Seahawks, Cowboys, 49ers and Cowboys again.

Bears keep playoff hopes alive with win over Giants

Per FiveThirtyEight, Chicago still has a one percent chance to make the playoffs.

It wasn’t a pretty win, but it was a win nonetheless.

The Bears beat the Giants 19-14, thanks to 16 third-quarter points, to improve the team to 5-6 on the season.

Per FiveThirtyEight, Chicago is holding onto playoff hope, with a one-percent chance to make it.

The 8-3 Vikings have a three-game lead on the Bears, but Chicago has the tiebreaker from its Week 4 win over Minnesota. The two will meet up again in Week 17.

The Bears also play the Lions, Cowboys, Packers and Chiefs to close out the season. Not exactly an easy stretch.

With the Bears likely to miss the playoffs, there are a lot of questions to answer this offseason in Chicago.

This is a team that finished 12-4 in 2018, looking like one of the teams of the future in the NFC. Not so fast.

The struggles of Mitch Trubisky have become too much for the Bears to overcome. The 2017 No. 2 pick is averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt this season. He’s had trouble throwing to the left side of the field. When you take away half the field for a defense, things become a bit easier.

It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Trubisky was replaced this offseason (Ryan Tannehill, anyone?), which would likely extend coach Matt Nagy’s time in Chicago as well.

Who to cheer for in Week 12 if you’re a Vikings fan

Here’s your Week 12 guide on who to cheer for in games that could affect the Vikings’ playoff positioning.

The Vikings are on bye week in Week 12.

This is an opportunity for you to do yard work, do some holiday shopping, or, to the dismay of your family members, stay inside and cheer for teams you have no affiliation with!

Here’s your Week 12 guide on who to cheer for in games that could affect the Vikings’ playoff positioning.

Seahawks (8-2) at Eagles (5-5), Noon CT

There are two ways to think of this. You could think about just getting the Eagles out of the wild card hunt, even though the Eagles are 2.5 games behind the Vikings.

Or, you could think of it as the Vikings being able to leapfrog the Seahawks with a Seattle loss this week and a Vikings win over the Seahawks in Week 13. That could also put the Vikings in first-round bye territory.

Go Eagles, I guess.

Panthers (5-5) at Saints (8-2), Noon CT

Same concept here. The Panthers are barely hanging in the playoff picture. It would be nice to get rid of potential threats. But again, you should probably aim for higher than just making the playoffs if you’re a Vikings fan. A Saints loss would put the Vikings and Saints both at 8-3 and could be the difference in who hosts a wild card playoff game.

Kyle Allen for life!

Giants (2-8) at Bears (4-6), Noon CT

The Bears have a one percent chance to make the playoffs. They probably have to win out in order to make it. Let’s go, Danny Dimes! Knock Chicago out of the playoff picture!

Cowboys (6-4) at Patriots (9-1), 3:25 CT

If the Eagles were to make a run in the NFC East, the more losses the Cowboys have, the better for the rest of the potential playoff teams.

The Vikings already have the tiebreaker over the Cowboys and the Eagles. If the Cowboys fall to 6-5, they’d be three games back (basically four with the tiebreaker), which would likely put them out of striking distant from the Vikings in any scenario.

Here we go, TB12!

Packers (8-2) at 49ers (9-1), SNF

The Vikings are just a half game back from the Packers in the NFC North battle for first, but Green Bay has the tiebreaker.

A Packers loss would tie things up in the North and could make the Week 16 battle between the two teams one for not only the NFC North, but for a first-round bye.

In George Kittle we trust.

Ravens (8-2) at Rams (6-4), MNF

The Rams have a 25 percent to make the playoffs, but that number falls to 16 percent with a loss to the Ravens. Jared Goff has looked lost as of late, while Lamar Jackson has made opposing defenses looking lost.

Here’s to Lamar keeping up his MVP campaign and separating the Vikings and Rams even more.

NFC playoff picture: Panthers all but out of the race after Week 11 loss

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

Technically the Panthers aren’t out of the playoff race, but realistically their loss to the Falcons on Sunday made reaching the postseason impossible in 2019.

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

Playoff teams

1. San Francisco 49ers (9-1)
2. Green Bay Packers (8-2)
3. New Orleans Saints (8-2)
4. Dallas Cowboys (6-4)
5. Seattle Seahawks (8-2)
6. Minnesota Vikings (8-3)

Still in the race

7. Los Angeles Rams (6-4)
8. Philadelphia Eagles (5-5)
9. Carolina Panthers (5-5)

According to FiveThirtyEight’s playoff predictions, Carolina now has just a 4% chance of making it this year.

Ron Rivera will continue trying to win games as best he can, both to save his job and because that’s what NFL coaches do. It would be prudent of him to give the younger players on his roster more snaps, though.

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NFC playoff picture after Week 11

The Vikings are still very much in the running for a first-round bye and potential NFC North championship.

1st-Round Byes

49ers, 9-1
Packers, 8-2

These two teams play each other on Monday Night Football in Week 12 in a game that has all of the playoff implications.

Wild Card Round

6. Vikings (8-2) at 3. Saints (8-2)
5. Seahawks (8-2) at 4. Cowboys (6-4)

The Vikings are inching closer to the top of the NFC North and potentially a first-round bye.

Minnesota has a bye in Week 12.

The Saints have a chance to knock Carolina out of the playoff picture in Week 12 at home.

The Seahwks have a big game in Philadelphia in Week 12 before hosting the Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 13.

The Cowboys extended their lead over the Eagles in the NFC East, but have the Patriots in New England in Week 12. Good luck.

Hanging On

Rams, 6-4
Eagles, 5-5
Panthers, 5-5
Bears, 4-6

The Rams kept their playoff hopes alive (and probably knocked out the Bears in doing so), but are still two wins back from a wild card spot. They get to go up against Lamar Jackson in Week 12. Fun times!

The Eagles had their chance against the Patriots, but they are only a game back in the NFC East.

Looking at the history of Vikings hot starts

It marks the eighth time the Vikings have started 8-3 or better since the NFL switched to a 16-game schedule.

The Vikings find themselves with an 8-3 record after 11 games.

It marks the eighth time the Vikings have started 8-3 or better since the NFL switched to a 16-game schedule.

Let’s take a look back at Minnesota’s previous hot starts.

2017

The Vikings started the 2017 season with a 9-2 record and ended the season with a 13-3 record. This was the weird year in which the team lost Sam Bradford to injury and then Case Keenum came out of nowhere to guide the Vikings.

Minnesota ended up losing in the NFC Championship game to the Philadelphia Eagles, which was especially disappointing considering the Super Bowl was in Minneapolis.

2015

This squad, led by Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgwater, started the season 8-3 and went 3-2 in its final five games to end the season with an 11-5 record.

This team probably overperformed a bit. Blair Walsh’s wide left field goal doomed the Vikings in the wild card round of the playoffs against the Seahawks.

2009

What a season this was. In Brett Favre’s first season in Purple, the team started out 10-1 and ended the season with a 12-4 record. Favre threw for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns. Ultimately, he led the team to the NFC Championship, but the team lost to the Saints in a controversial fashion.

We’ll let you decide for yourself, but if the Vikings win that game, they probably win it all.

2000

Minnesota started this season out 9-2. We’ll remember it more for the 41-0 embarrassment in the NFC Championship that year, but it was a pretty successful season. Daunte Culpepper was a second-year stud, throwing for 3,937 yards and 33 touchdowns, while Randy Moss had more than 1,400 receiving yards to go along with 15 touchdowns.

This was Dennis Green’s last full season as the team’s head coach.

1998

This is the season I’ll remember forever as a Vikings fan. I was eight, and watching Moss as a rookie, Cris Carter, Robert Smith and Randall Cunningham dominate offensively was so much fun.

The team started 10-1 and ended the season with a 15-1 record.

Of course, this season is also why people roll their eyes when they hear Gary Anderson’s name. Anderson missed a chip shot in the NFC Championship game against the Falcons after going a perfect 35-for-35 in the regular season.

If we could never talk about that again, that’d be super.

1997

This team started out 8-3 before losing four of its last five games to finish with a mediocre 9-7 record.

The Vikings, who were led by Brad Johnson, still made the playoffs and even beat the Giants 23-22 in the wild card round, but ended up losing 38-22 to the 49ers in the divisional round.

1992

And then we have the 1992 squad that started out 8-3 and ended the season 11-5.

The team’s defense was great, ranking in the top 10 in both yards and points allowed.

Despite having Anthony and Cris Carter, there really wasn’t much of a passing game for the team. While the team had Rich Gannon at quarterback, he wasn’t that Rich Gannon, yet.

The Vikings lost in the wild card round to the Redskins.

NFC playoff picture: Rams gain ground on Seahawks, remain behind Vikings

The Rams are still 1.5 games back in the wild-card race, trailing the Vikings and Seahawks.

The Rams got back on track Sunday night, beating the Chicago Bears 17-7at home. The win moved their record to 6-4 and kept their playoff hopes alive, though they still remain out of the postseason picture at the moment.

It was a much-needed win considering the Vikings beat the Broncos and improved to 8-3, while the Seahawks were off in Week 11. A loss would’ve put the Rams 2.5 games behind Minnesota for a wild-card spot, which would’ve been disastrous.

Here’s how the NFC playoff picture looks right now after 11 weeks.

West: 49ers (9-1)
North: Packers (8-2)
South: Saints (8-2)
East: Cowboys (6-4)
Wild card: Seahawks (8-2)
Wild card: Vikings (8-3)

In the hunt

Rams (6-4)
Eagles (5-5)
Panthers (5-5)

The Rams nearly got a lot of help on Sunday, in addition to picking up a half-game on the idle Seahawks.

The Broncos blew a 20-point lead against the Vikings, and the Cardinals were outscored 19-7 in the fourth quarter to lose 36-26 to the 49ers. Had the Broncos and Cardinals pulled off those upsets, it would’ve helped the Rams immensely in the NFC playoff race.

But, they took care of their own business, which is most important. It’s possible the Rams will need to win out to make the playoffs, though it’s unlikely that’ll be the requirement. The 49ers have a daunting schedule coming up against the Packers, Ravens and Saints in the next three weeks, while Minnesota has to face the Seahawks, Chargers and Packers before the season ends.

The Rams will need to finish at least 10-6 to have a chance, which means they have to finish 4-2 in the last six weeks.

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NFC playoff picture after Week 10

The Vikings and Seahawks had huge wins, while the Saints lost their first-round bye position.

The NFC playoff picture is looking a little clearer as far as who will make it, but it’s muddled as far as positioning goes.

Here’s where the NFC stands after Week 10.

First-Round Byes

49ers, 8-1
Packers, 7-2

The 49ers took a hit on Monday Night Football, losing to their division rivals. San Francisco is now only a game up for first place in the division.

The Packers hung on against the Panthers and managed to move up in the standings thanks to the Falcons stunning the Saints.

Wild Card Round

No. 6 Vikings (7-3) at No. 3 Saints (7-2)

No. 5 Seahawks (8-2) at No. 4 Cowboys (5-4)

The Vikings and Seahawks both had huge statement wins over the Cowboys and 49ers, respectively.

It should be fun when the two teams face off in Week 12 in Seattle.

Holding On . . .

Rams, 5-4
Eagles, 5-4
Panthers, 5-4
Bears, 4-5

The Eagles suddenly find themselves back in conversation in the NFC East, while the Rams and Bears play in Week 11. The loser of that game will have a pretty tough time making it back to the playoffs considering this group is already 2.5 games back.