Another weekend, another high stakes slate of games in the NFC.
Aaron Rodgers returns just in time to save the Green Bay Packers, the Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams in a game that could decide the NFC West title, while the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are playing for their post-season lives.
Here’s what you need to know about the NFC playoff picture for Week 15.
Standings
If the season ended today…
Wild Card Round
No. 6 Atlanta Falcons (8-5) at No. 3 Los Angeles Rams (9-4)
No. 5 Carolina Panthers (8-4) at No. 4 New Orleans Saints (9-4)
Divisional Round
Lowest-seeded wild-card winner at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles [y] (11-2)
Highest-seeded wild-card winner at No. 2 Minnesota Vikings (10-3)
[x] Clinched playoff berth
[y] Clinched division title
[z] Clinched conference
NFC teams still in the hunt
Seattle Seahawks (8-5)
Detroit Lions (7-6)
Green Bay Packers (7-6)
Dallas Cowboys (7-6)
Week 15 clinching scenarios
Game(s) of the Week
Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers, Sunday 1 p.m. ET
The return of Aaron Rodgers comes just in time for the Packers, who would be eliminated from the playoffs this week with a loss and a Falcons win.
Rodgers’ comeback, however, will be anything but a walk in the park. Cam Newton and the Panthers have won five of their last six games by an average of 11 points and boast a top-five run game. Defensively, Carolina ranks in the top 10 in both points and yards allowed, and have racked up 40 sacks so far this season, good for third in the league. A-Rod can only do so much; the Packers need to put together a complete game Sunday in Charlotte.
And while Green Bay plays for the playoff lives, the Panthers are in the position to strengthen their hold on a post-season spot. Carolina can’t clinch just yet, but 10 wins all but guarantees at least a wild-card appearance.
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks, Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET
This game could very well decide the NFC West title come season’s end.
The Seahawks are coming off a tough loss in Jacksonville, but return home with a chance to complete a season sweep of the Rams should they win in Seattle on Sunday afternoon. That would give Russell Wilson & Co. the divisional tiebreaker should it come down to it.
Not only would a Seahawks win put them in the NFC West driver’s seat, it could drop the Rams to the seventh seed and out of the playoff positions should the Falcons also beat the Buccaneers on Monday night.
Spoiler Alert
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions, Saturday 4:25 p.m. ET
The Lions still have an outside chance of sneaking into a wild-card spot, but a loss at any point in the last three games would likely mean an end to their playoff hopes.
Detroit has been anything but convincing over the last month, splitting its last four games with a pair of wins thanks to Matt Prater kicks in the final seconds of the game. Last week’s nail-biting victory came in Tampa after the Lions blew a 14-point third-quarter lead, while the other three-point win was against the Bears in the Windy City in which Chicago racked up 222 yards on the ground and nearly 400 of total offence.
While the Lions are scraping by, the Mitch Trubisky-led Bears are only picking up steam after manhandling the lowly Bengals 33-7 in Cincinnati through the air and on the ground to the tune 482 yards.
Matthew Stafford’s Lions have made a habit of squeaking out important wins over the last couple of seasons, but these Bears have the potential to flip that script.
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Other games to watch
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants, Sunday 1 p.m. ET
The Eagles first post-Carson Wentz game comes against one of the league’s worst, giving Nick Foles a chance to get comfortable with the first-team offence.
There’s still plenty on the line for Philadelphia, as a win against the 2-11 Giants would clinch a first-round bye for the Eagles while a victory plus a Vikings loss wraps up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings, Sunday 1 p.m. ET
The Vikings get the chance to bounce back from a tough loss to the Panthers last week against the irrelevant Bengals and have another chance to clinch the NFC North title with a win, or even a tie.
New York Jets at New Orleans Saints, Sunday 1 p.m. ET
Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders, Sunday 8:30 p.m. ET
While many would’ve hoped for the Patriots-Steelers game to be flexed into the Sunday nighter, this matchup still offers plenty of intrigue.
This is a must-win game in the truest sense of the term. Dallas can’t lose again to have a shot at the playoffs, and its chances after Week 15 will increase significantly with the return of Ezekiel Elliott next week.
For Oakland, a win is a must to keep pace with the Chiefs or Chargers, who face off for the AFC West lead earlier on Saturday night. A loss at home Sunday could spell the end to a terribly disappointing season for the Raiders.
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Monday 8:30 p.m. ET
The last time these two division rivals met, Julio Jones burned the Bucs for 253 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
While the Falcons can’t clinch anything with a sweep against Tampa, a victory on Monday night will go a long way in helping secure January football for Atlanta.
