NFC playoff picture update following Week 18 Saturday games

6 days ago 2

The first two games of NFL Week 18 were held on Saturday and they resulted in meaningful developments for the NFC playoff picture.

First, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers. This doesn’t necessarily mean the Bucs have won the NFC South and the No. 4 seed. Tampa now needs the New Orleans Saints to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. If the Bucs don’t get help and the Falcons win, Tampa will lose out to Carolina in a three-way tiebreaker for the division crown. Weird!

Second, the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers. This means the Seahawks are now the No. 1 seed and will get a first-round bye. Had the Niners won, they would’ve been the top team in the conference. Instead, they’re going to be either No. 5 or No. 6.

The results of the Los Angeles Rams’ game against the Arizona Cardinals will determine the top two wild card spots with the Green Bay Packers already locked in as the No. 7 seed. If the Rams (favored by 13.5 points at home) beat the Cardinals, LA is the No. 5 seed and the 49ers are the No. 6 seed. If Jonathan Gannon’s team pulls off the massive upset, the 49ers are the No. 5 seed and the Rams are the No. 6 seed.

The Eagles are entering Sunday with the hope that they can beat the Washington Commanders while also getting help from the Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. In that scenario, the Eagles are the No. 2 seed and they’ll host the Packers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

If the Eagles aren’t the No. 2 seed, they’ll be the No. 3 seed … which means they’ll host the No. 6 seed at Lincoln Financial Field. And with the Rams heavily favored to beat the Cards, it’s looking like the 49ers could be coming back to Philly for the first playoff meeting between these two teams since the NFC Championship Game in January 2023.

Could be fun to see the Eagles eliminate the Whiners once again.