NFC playoff picture after Packers drub Vikings, 49ers beat Raiders
Minnesota's blowout loss to the Packers on Sunday has set the stage for a dramatic final week of the regular season in the NFC playoff race.
The top seed is now down to the Eagles, 49ers and Cowboys. The 49ers jumped the Vikings for the No. 2 seed thanks to their hard-fought overtime win over the Raiders. Minnesota can still get the No. 2 seed, but it will require them beating the Bears in Chicago and the 49ers losing at home to the Cardinals.
The Bucs have secured the No. 4 seed and the Giants are locked into the No. 5 spot. And the final playoff spot will go to the Seahawks, Lions or Packers.
- Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-4) - owns tiebreaker over Minnesota due to better conference record
- Minnesota Vikings (12-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8)
- Dallas Cowboys (12-4)
- New York Giants (9-6-1)
- Seattle Seahawks (8-8) - owns tiebreaker over Detroit due to head-to-head win
- Detroit Lions (8-8) - owns tiebreaker over Green Bay due to head-to-head win
- Green Bay Packers (8-8)
Green Bay is in ninth place, but they actually have the best statistical chance to get the final playoff spot because they would own the tiebreaker over Seattle if both were to win in Week 18.
The NFC playoff picture is WILD heading into Week 18. @SteveKornacki takes a closer look at what can happen and how. pic.twitter.com/dkckYwudkU
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 2, 2023
Week 18 key games
- Vikings at Bears
- Lions at Packers
- Giants at Eagles
- Cardinals at 49ers
- Rams at Seahawks
- Cowboys at Commanders
The No. 1 seed is still up for grabs
- The Eagles get it if they beat the Giants or the Cowboys and 49ers lose
- The 49ers get it if they beat the Cardinals and the Eagles lose to the Giants
- The Cowboys get it if they beat the Commanders, the 49ers lose to the Cardinals and the Eagles lose to the Giants
The battle for the No. 7 seed
- The Packers get it if they beat the Lions
- The Lions get it if they beat the Packers and Seattle loses to the Rams
- The Seahawks get it if they beat Rams and the Lions beat Green Bay
We could talk more about how ties could make the situation more complicated, but that's highly unlikely so we'll leave it the way it is.
Related: 5 things that stood out in the Vikings' loss to the Packers
Related: Vikings get smoked by Packers in game filled with miscues
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.