At the NFL season midpoint, the NFC playoff picture is in clear focus.
The NFC East and NFC South divisions will send their first place teams to the postseason and they will play host in the opening round. At this point, it feels very unlikely either of them will have a wildcard entrant.
That means the NFC West and NFC North are directly competing for the three spots left open for non-divisional winners.
Out of these seven teams with winning records, two will be watching the playoffs from their couch:
The San Francisco 49ers are on their way to winning the West, and we have very little to point to the contrary. The winning of the North will likely come down to the wire.
That leaves the remaining three teams from the north against the Los Angeles Rams and Seahawks in the standings.
The Chicago Bears close their season with three divisional games, which means they are the most in control of their destiny.
The Rams and Seahawks will see each other in two of the final three weeks of the year. The worst case for these teams is that the outcomes are split—which could make them both a victim to the north. If one of these rivals take both games, they likely make the playoffs while the other watches from home.
Another key upcoming game for the Rams comes out of their bye week when they host the Green Bay Packers on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Davante Adams seems slated to return against his former team. This is also the targeted return for EDGE rusher Micah Parsons.
The forces working against the Rams is the fact they have (by far) the toughest remaining strength of schedule and their roster is not at full force—especially on offense. The eventual returns of Puka Nacua and Terrance Ferguson should bolster the group, but LA must remain in the hunt to buy them enough time.
Things are about to get very interesting in the NFC playoff picture. The backhalf of the season will be littered with contests that carry outsized postseason implications.
Two teams that currently hold winning records won’t make the cut.
