Four weeks remain in the regular season, and the NFC wild-card race remains as unpredictable as ever.
Six teams are 6-7 heading into Week 15, which are more 6-7 teams in either conference through 14 weeks than any other year since the 1970 merger. One of those teams is the NFC South leader (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), who are currently in a three-way tie for the division lead. The other two teams (Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints) are in a five-way tie for the final playoff spot in the NFC.
Only one game separates the No. 7 through No. 13 seeds in the NFC, and each of them have an under. 500 record. Just five teams in the NFC are currently over .500, and three of them have 10 wins (they are playoff locks).
The NFC wild-card race is as confusing as ever, so which teams are going to make the postseason? All the current wild-card teams will be examined, and their outlook of making the postseason will be determined based on their remaining schedule.
NFC wild-card standings
Current Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | PD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | z-Buccaneers | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | -8 |
5 | x-Eagles | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | +21 |
6 | x-Vikings | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | +24 |
7 | x-Packers | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | +12 |
8 | Rams | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | +9 |
9 | Seahawks | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | -38 |
10 | Falcons | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | -18 |
11 | Saints | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | +24 |
12 | Giants | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | -39 |
13 | Bears | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | -131 |
- z- current division leader
- x- current playoff team
Playoff outlook
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Remaining schedule: at Packers, vs. Jaguars, vs. Saints, at Panthers
The Buccaneers are in a three-way tie for the NFC South lead, finishing out the year with two division opponents. They have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Saints and have a better record against common opponents than the Falcons, which gives them the division lead.
The Panthers game in Week 18 could loom large in regards to their playoff chances.
Philadelphia Eagles
Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, vs. Giants, vs. Cardinals, at Giants
The Eagles need just one win to lock up a playoff spot. If the Eagles win out, they'll clinch the NFC East thanks to having a better conference record than the Cowboys (and at worst the No. 2 seed). The No. 5 seed will go to the NFC East runner-up.
Minnesota Vikings
Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Lions, vs. Packers, at Lions
Minnesota will roll with Nick Mullens as its starting quarterback for the stretch run, but the Vikings have the toughest remaining schedule out of all the wild-card contenders. Playing the Lions twice -- and how the Vikings fare against them -- could determine their playoff fate.
Green Bay Packers
Remaining schedule: vs. Buccaneers, at Panthers, at Vikings, vs. Bears
Monday's loss to the Giants was significantly detrimental for the Packers, who creeped back into the logjam of teams fighting for the No. 7 seed. Their Week 15 game against the Buccaneers looms large, especially since they currently hold the top tiebreaker for the final playoff spot.
The Packers have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rams (No. 8) and have a better conference record than the Falcons (No. 10). Division tiebreaker is why the Seahawks are No. 9 and Saints are No. 11.
Los Angeles Rams
Remaining schedule: vs. Commanders, vs. Saints, at Giants, at 49ers
The Rams have a favorable schedule with the Commanders this week and can dig the Saints into a deeper hole with a win in Week 16. They could end up with nine wins based on the outlook of the next three games.
The Rams are the No. 8 seed in the conference, holding the division record tiebreaker over the Seahawks (No. 9) by virtue of a head-to-head victory. They hold the tiebreaker over the Falcons (No. 10) based on having a better conference record. The Packers (No. 7) have a better conference record than the Rams, which is why they're ahead.
Seattle Seahawks
Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, at Titans, vs. Steelers, at Cardinals
The Seahawks are the No. 9 seed in the NFC, tied with the Rams (No. 8), yet lose the head-to-head tiebreaker. Seattle holds the tiebreaker over Atlanta (No. 10) based on having the better win percentage in conference games.
After Monday's game against the Eagles, the schedule gets significantly better for Seattle. The Titans and Steelers will be tough outs, however.
Atlanta Falcons
Remaining schedule: at Panthers, vs. Colts, at Bears, at Saints
The Falcons are tied for the NFC South lead, but lose the tiebreaker due to the Buccaneers having a better record to common opponents. Atlanta has a head-to-head tiebreaker over New Orleans (No. 11).
The loss to the Buccaneers in Week 14 was huge, but having Carolina on the schedule could vault the Falcons back into first place.
New Orleans Saints
Remaining schedule: vs. Giants, at Rams, at Buccaneers, vs. Falcons
The Saints are also tied for the NFC South lead, but lose the tiebreaker due to the Buccaneers and Falcons beating them head-to-head.
New Orleans needs to win the last two games to have a shot at the playoffs.
New York Giants
Remaining schedule: at Saints, at Eagles, vs. Rams, vs. Eagles
The Giants are the No. 12 seed in the NFC, one game behind the Packers for the final playoff spot in the conference. They beat Green Bay on Monday and hold the conference record tiebreaker over the Bears (No. 13).
New York's playoff odds are long thanks to playing Philadelphia twice in the final three weeks. The schedule gets harder from here on out.
Chicago Bears
Remaining schedule: at Browns, vs. Cardinals, vs. Falcons, at Packers
The Bears are the No. 13 seed in the NFC, one game out of the final playoff spot (they lost the conference record tiebreaker to the Giants). They have a tough schedule going forward, but will be a significantly tough out after going 5-4 over their last nine games.
Chicago still has the No. 1 pick to fall back on thanks to the draft-day trade with Carolina, who has the worst record in football.
Pick Six Newsletter
Crafted By The Best NFL Experts
Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
Who makes the playoffs?
The Eagles or Cowboys have one of the wild-card spots essentially locked up (No. 5 seed). Now, comes the hard part.
The NFC South winner can be any one of the three teams in the race, as the division winner will likely be the only team in the playoffs. The Falcons still have a golden opportunity to seize the division, even with the loss to the Buccaneers. The Saints will have to win their final two games to have a chance.
The Rams have a favorable path towards one of the wild-card spots, and the Packers can significantly improve their playoff fate if they beat the Buccaneers in Week 15.
Predictions for the NFC wild-card teams are as follows:
- 4. Falcons (NFC South winner)
- 5. Eagles/Cowboys (Eagles win out, they win NFC East)
- 6. Rams
- 7. Packers