NFC playoff picture, Week 17: Eagles try to clinch spot
We have one last Sunday before the NFL postseason begins. In the NFC, here’s how the picture shakes out heading into the final weekend:
1. San Francisco 49ers (12-3)
2. Green Bay Packers (12-3)
3. New Orleans Saints (12-3)
4. Philadephia Eagles (8-7)
5. Seattle Seahawks (11-4)
6. Minnesota Vikings (10-5)
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7. Dallas Cowboys (7-8)
The main intrigue belongs in three games.
For starters, the Washington Redskins are visiting the Cowboys. Should the Cowboys lose this contest, the NFC East belongs to the Eagles. However, a win by Dallas, and Philadelphia has to handle business against the New York Giants in the Meadowlands. The last time these two teams got together — earlier this month — Â the Giants played the Eagles into overtime. Of course, a win by Philadelphia, and the division, and the NFC’s fourth seed, belong to the Eagles.
The best game of the weekend is on Sunday night, with the Seahawks welcoming in the 49ers for a rematch from November. In the first affair, Seattle won in overtime when San Francisco missed a would-be game-winning field goal in overtime. Now, the two teams meet with even more on the line. If the 49ers win, they clinch both the NFC West title and the top seed in the conference’s playoff picture. Conversely, should Seattle win, it wins the division and bumps the Niners down to the fifth seed, where they will travel to face the NFC East’s winner on Wild Card weekend.
In the NFC North, the Packers have clinched the division and can secure a first-round bye by beating the Detroit Lions. If a win is coupled by the 49ers losing, the Packers will have home-field advantage throughout. A loss, however, could drop Green Bay to the third seed if the Saints beat the Panthers. For New Orleans, it needs the Seahawks to win or the Packers to lose for a first-round bye, along with beating Carolina.
The only way Seattle can earn one of the top two seeds is with a victory over San Francisco, and then a loss by the Packers. Otherwise, the Seahawks will slot into the third seed and host the Vikings for the second time this season. Minnesota is hosting the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, but the game means nothing with the Vikings locked into the sixth spot.
