We are at the stage of the NFL season when we can start looking at the playoff picture. In the NFC, the final wild card spot and last place in the conference is separated by two wins, so no team is really eliminated yet.
The Arizona Cardinals, picking up a 27-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10, moved up from 13th in the conference to 11th, but they have the same record as the Packers and Falcons, who are the 9th and 10th seeds, respectively.
Let’s take a look at the current NFC playoff picture and what is coming up in Week 11.
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NFC playoff picture, Week 11
The seven playoff teams if the season ended today
- Philadelphia Eagles, 8-1
- Minnesota Vikings, 8-1
- Seattle Seahawks, 6-4
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 5-5
- New York Giants, 7-2
- Dallas Cowboys, 6-3
- San Francisco 49ers, 5-4
Teams in the mix
8. Washington Commanders, 5-5
9. Green Bay Packers, 4-6
10. Atlanta Falcons, 4-6
11. Arizona Cardinals, 4-6
12. Detroit Lions, 3-6
13. Los Angeles Rams, 3-6
14. Carolina Panthers, 3-7
15. New Orleans Saints, 3-7
16. Chicago Bears, 3-7
Where the Cardinals fit
The Cardinals, even though they have the same overall record as the Packers and Falcons, are behind both teams in the standings because of their 3-5 conference record. Green Bay and Atlanta are both 3-4.
The Cardinals will play the Falcons in Atlanta in Week 17, so they will have the opportunity to hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over them if that comes into play.
Coming up in Week 11
Bye weeks
The Seahawks and the Buccaneers will be idle in Week 11. Nobody can overtake the Seahawks in the NFC West this week, so they will remain a top-four team in the conference.
The same applies to the Bucs. Even with wins by the other teams in the division, they would remain in first place.
NFC head-to-head games
The Cardinals and 49ers face one another Monday night in Mexico City. Arizona could match San Francisco in wins, but because the Niners have had their bye week, they would remain half a game ahead of the Cardinals at 5-5 while Arizona would be 5-6.
The Falcons and Bears play in Atlanta. A Chicago win makes both teams 4-7.
The Rams and Saints play in New Orleans.
The Cowboys and Vikings face one another, but that outcome won’t change the order in the top four of the conference and would not change the division leader in the NFC East.
The Lions face the Giants on the road.
Cross-conference games
The Packers will host the 6-3 Tennessee Titans. The 8-1 Eagles will be on the road to face the 4-5-1 Colts. The Commanders are on the road to take on the 1-7-1 Texans.
