NFC Playoff Picture: Vikings Chasing Eagles for No. 1 Seed, 49ers Making Push for 2nd
The Packers battled, but they couldn't quite get it done. Green Bay lost to the Eagles 40-33 on Sunday Night Football, meaning Philadelphia moves to 10-1 and stays a full game ahead of the Vikings atop the NFC standings.
The Eagles have looked a bit more vulnerable of late, losing to the Commanders and then surviving scares against two sub-.500 teams, the Colts and Packers. Still, their offense piled up 500 yards on SNF, 363 of them coming on the ground. They also picked off Aaron Rodgers twice and finished with three sacks.
The 49ers and Commanders picked up big wins on Sunday, while the Seahawks and Falcons suffered painful losses. Here's a look at the complete NFC playoff picture heading into Week 13:
The Vikings could've used some help from their division rivals on Sunday night. With the Eagles winning, Minnesota will need to pick up two games over the final six weeks of the season to pass Philadelphia for the top seed, because of the head-to-head tiebreaker from Week 2. So if the Vikings win out and finish 15-2 — which seems very unlikely — the Eagles would still need to lose two games.
It's unlikely, but who knows? Three of the Eagles' next four games are against the Titans, Giants, and Cowboys, who each have at least seven wins. Both teams have three division games left, and those are often unpredictable.
The bigger concern for the Vikings might be the 49ers pushing them for the No. 2 seed. After shutting out the Saints 13-0 on Sunday, San Francisco (7-4) is still two games behind Minnesota. They've won four in a row, holding opponents to 16 points or fewer in all four games. The 49ers look extremely dangerous on both sides of the ball right now.
Still, if the Vikings go 4-2 the rest of the way, the 49ers would have to win out to force a conference record tiebreaker. If the Vikings slip up and go 3-3 or worse over the final six weeks, the 49ers could have a realistic chance to jump past them for the second seed.
Despite making a statement by blowing out the Vikings and then beating the Giants on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys will open the playoffs on the road if they can't pass the Eagles in the NFC East. If the season ended today, all four teams from that division would be in the playoffs, as Washington jumped past Seattle and into the seventh spot on Sunday.
The playoff picture is starting to take shape, but there are still six fun weeks of regular season action ahead.
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.
