First place in the NFC will come down to the final game of the regular season when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night.
The winner takes the NFC North and gets a bye in the first round of the playoffs and home field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser becomes the fifth seed and must play as a visitor in the wild card round. The Lions have the tiebreaker if the teams enter with identical records and tie.
The Vikings (14-2) posted a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday to set up their high-stakes matchup in Week 18. The Lions (13-2) visit the San Francisco 49ers (6-9 ) on Monday night in a rematch of the NFC title game. If they win, they will have to beat the Vikings again or tie. Detroit beat Minnesota 31-29 in Week 7. If they lose or tie, they must defeat the Vikings.
The Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) clinched the NFC East and secured second place with a 41-7 rout of the Dallas Cowboys. However, coach Nick Sirianni has a tough decision to make this week. Saquon Barkley is 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson's record for rushing yards in a season.
Syriannni has to decide whether to rest Barkley and most of his starters to prepare for the playoffs or let his star try to break the 40-year-old record.
The Los Angeles Rams (10-6) clinched the NFC West and the Seattle Seahawks (9-7) were eliminated when the Commanders beat the Falcons 30-24 in overtime on Sunday night. Washington (11-5) clinched a wild card spot with the win. The Commanders and Packers (11-5) occupy the final two spots in the NFC playoffs.
Atlanta's loss gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) control of the NFC South and left the Falcons (8-8) in second place. The Buccaneers would clinch the division with a win or draw against New Orleans next Sunday.
Three AFC teams have already clinched their seeds. The Kansas City Chiefs (15-1), two-time defending Super Bowl champions, won the AFC West weeks ago and clinched first place.
The AFC East champion Buffalo Bills (13-3) are the second seed. The Houston Texans (9-7), AFC South champions, are fourth.
The Baltimore Ravens (11-5) would win the AFC North and clinch third place with a win or tie against Cleveland on Saturday or a loss or tie at Pittsburgh, which hosts Cincinnati on Saturday night.
If they don't win the division, the Steelers will have already clinched a wild card spot. The Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) also clinched a wild card spot. They will not be lower than sixth place.
The final AFC playoff spot goes to the Broncos (9-7), the Dolphins (8-8) or the Bengals (8-8).
Denver clinches it with a win or a draw against the Chiefs. The Dolphins need the Broncos to lose and must beat the Jets on the road to get in. The Bengals have to win and the Broncos and Dolphins have to lose to get in.
