Updated NFC Playoff Picture, NFC Wild Card standings after Packers beat Cowboys

November 14, 2022 ndowd

After the Dallas Cowboys went into Lambeau Field and lost to the Green Bay Packers, here’s what the NFC Playoff Picture and NFC Wild Card standings look like.

We only have eight weeks left in the season and the NFL Playoff Picture is starting to come into focus.

There’s still plenty of football left to be played, and we’ve been shown evidence that things can change very quickly in a short amount of time.

Just ask the Minnesota Vikings about that.

Minnesota marched into Buffalo and secured a signature win that could very well carry them to the top of the NFC. The Vikings are now 8-1, sitting behind only the Philadelphia Eagles as the best team in the entire league. Philly would still need to lose twice to cough up the No. 1 seed as it holds a key tiebreaker over Minnesota by way of an emphatic Week 2 win.

It was that thumping that the Vikings endured that raised questions about whether they were a team that was actually good or just good enough to beat bad teams. That question remains unanswered, but the win in Buffalo is impossible to ignore and foolish to not respect.

Updated NFC Playoff Picture after Packers beat Cowboys in Week 10

Beyond Minnesota’s win, there was plenty more that happened in the NFC Playoff Picture in Week 10.

The Green Bay Packers finally ended their losing streak, beating the Dallas Cowboys and shifting things in the NFC East in the process. Green Bay’s win didn’t do much to get them back into the playoff picture but it did clamp the bleeding and perhaps put the offense back on track before it was too late.

A Dallas loss, coupled with a win by the Giants, flips New York into the No. 5 seed. Tampa Bay kept its winning ways going, beating the Seahawks in Germany to take a two-game lead in the NFC South and firmly settle into a potential playoff spot.

Here’s a look at what the NFC Playoff bracket would look like if the postseason started today:

Philadelphia Eagles (8-0)
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 (4-4)

Based on those standings, here’s what the playoff matchups would look like for the first weekend of action:

(2) Minnesota Vikings vs. (7) San Francisco 49ers
(3) Seattle Seahawks vs. (6) Dallas Cowboys
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (5) New York Giants

Each higher-seeded team would host its Wild Card Weekend matchup. The Philadelphia Eagles would have a first-round bye with the No. 1 seed and host any playoff game they play in.