After twelve weeks, the playoff picture is coming into focus. The Bears and Panthers are both out of the playoff hunt after embarrassing losses on Sunday. The Cowboys and Eagles are in a heated divisional race. One of those two teams will win the NFC East and the other will be looking for a Wild Card slot. Which team will win the division may very well be decided in a week 17 head-to-head matchup in Dallas.
The Packers will need to win at least 3 of the remaining 5 games to realistically clinch a Wild Card birth. The Packers have a very good shot at this with 3 possibly easy wins against the Bears, Seahawks and Cardinals: The Bears are playing poorly and worse than their 4-7 record would indicate. The Seahawks are not a good team and will be playing in Green Bay in the cold. The Cardinals are likely to be playing for nothing in week 17 and may be resting many of their starters. The other two games will be tough, playing both the Steelers in the Steel City and the Ravens on Monday Night Football.
Let’s look at a team-by-team breakdown:
Eagles (7-4) - The Eagles have a tough remaining schedule and will have to earn their way into the playoffs. They play the Falcons this week. Their remaining games after this are the Giants, 49ers, Broncos and Cowboys. No cake walk.
Packers (7-4) - After a 10 day rest, the Packers will play the Ravens on Monday Night Football. The Ravens have been inconsistent this year and will be playing hard for a playoff slot.
Giants (6-5) – The Giants play the Cowboys this week after a tough loss to the Broncos. The Giants have two games against the struggling Panthers and Redskins and get to play the Vikings in week 17, who may be resting their players.
Falcons (6-5) – The Falcons play the Eagles and the Saints in the next two weeks. They have to win one of those games if they want to play a 17th game this year. This team really hangs in the balance with injuries this Sunday to Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Jason Snelling. The seriousness of these injuries may determine if they can win.
49ers (5-6) – The 49ers are still in the race for a playoff berth, but just barely. They play Seattle this week and then the Cardinals the next week. They need to beat both divisional opponents to stay alive.
