NFC playoff picture: Week 13 edition
The National Football League’s regular season is coming down to the home stretch. Only five weeks remain as we head into December, and there is plenty to sort out.
In the NFC playoff picture, the Carolina Panthers are sitting pretty with the league’s only unbeaten record at 11-0. Carolina is obviously the first seed in the conference and can clinch the NFC South this Sunday with either a win over the New Orleans Saints, or if the Atlanta Falcons lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
Carolina is followed in the standings by the Arizona Cardinals, who at 9-2 hold a three-game advantage over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. Seattle, which has won the division in each of the past two seasons, is currently in the sixth and final playoff spot after a wild 39-30 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. However, the Seahawks lost All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham for the season with a torn patellar tendon, something that could derail the star’s career.
In the NFC East, the Washington Redskins technically hold the tiebreaker over the New York Giants for the lead in the division. Washington and New York are both 5-6 and split their head-to-head meetings, but Washington currently owns the better record in the East. The Redskins are playing a huge game at FedEx Field on Monday night, taking on the woeful Dallas Cowboys. Dallas is without quarterback Tony Romo for the rest of the season due to broken clavicle which he sustained on Thanksgiving against the Panthers. For Romo, it is the second time he broke his clavicle in four games this season.
The Giants are trying to stay in the mix when they host the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. might be catching a break this week with the likely absence of cornerback Darrelle Revis, who is still trying to recover from a concussion that kept him out of last week’s contest versus the Miami Dolphins.
In the North, the Minnesota Vikings hold a slim one-game lead over the struggling Green Bay Packers, who are 7-4 and in the first wild card slot. Minnesota is 8-3 and currently the third seed, and is readying to host the Seahawks on Sunday in what amounts to a massive game. Both teams desperately need the win for different reasons, and might just be the best game of the week.
Green Bay is on the road, taking on the Detroit Lions. While Detroit is only 4-7, the Lions did beat the Packers earlier this season at Lambeau Field, the first time since 1991.
This week should provide a bit more clarity in the NFC, as we rush toward the final quarter of the regular season in the NFL.
