The Vikings have won the division. Even with an assumed Packers Victory against the hapless Buccaneers next week, and the Vikings bye, the Packers are effectively 3 games back because the Vikings have the tiebreaker.
Personally, I do not believe that the Vikings are catchable in the divisional race. It is also extremely unlikely that the Falcons will catch up to the Saints, leaving the Saints out of the Wild Card picture. In the NFC East, either the Eagles, Cowboys or Giants will win the division and in the the NFC West, either the 49ers or the Cardinals will win. If the season ended today, the Eagles, Vikings, Saints and Cardinals would win their respective divisions ,and the Cowboys and the Giants would win the Wild Cards. Here is a breakdown of the Wild Card contenders from first to last as of week 8.
Cowboys (5-2) - The Cowboys will lose the tie breaker so far against the Giants for head-to-head play. They are currently the leader by a 1/2 game. They face the Eagles and the Packers in two tough road games followed by the Redskins and Raiders at home, for what should be easy wins.
Giants (5-3) – The Giants are a 1/2 game leader over the next group of 4-3 teams. The Giants play the Chargers at home, followed with their bye week. They then play the Falcons at home and then travel to Denver.
Falcons (4-3) – The Falcons would place above the Packers due to “Strength of Victory.” They are one game back from the Cowboys. The Falcons have a relatively easy upcoming schedule except for the Giants. They play the Redskins, Panthers, Giants and Buccaneers in their next four.
Packers (4-3) - The Packers place above the Bears due to their victory in week one but behind the Falcons. The Packers are one game back from the Cowboys. See below.
Bears (4-3) – Unless the Bears beat the Packers in December, they will not win any foreseeable tie breakers. The Bears have the toughest four games of their schedule coming up. They play the Cardinals, 49ers, Eagles and Vikings. They really have to win 3 to stay competitive for the Wild Card.
49ers (3-4) - 49ers have the tie breaker over the Panthers thanks to their better conference record. Their next four games are the Titans, Bears, Packers and Jaguars.
Panthers (3-4) – Lombardi sweep will be surprised if we see the Panthers in the Wild Card race for long. They play the Saints, Falcons, Dolphins and Jets in their next four games. The Panthers could realistically lose all four.
In the next four games, the Packers have two cupcake games on the road against the Buccaneers and the Lions. The other two games are against the Cowboys and the 49ers at home. The Packers should be able to beat the 49ers, and if they play well, they can beat the Cowboys. The Packers are in prime position to win 4 games straight, especially with their challenging games being in Lambeau. They can realistically put themselves at 8-3 while winning the head-to-head tie breakers against Dallas and the 49ers. If they stumble against Dallas, which they have a realistic chance of doing, they will find themselves 7-3, without the tie breaker against Dallas. Once again, the Packers find themselves in a crucial game against the damn Cowboys.
Go Pack Go
