The NFC North Division is a tough division to win. With three great football teams and two average ones, the Packers have been able to maintain their place at the top of this group. However, new reports indicate that they could be on the receiving end of some bad luck when it comes to seeding in next years playoffs.
The “nfl standings playoffs” is a website that tracks the NFL’s playoff picture. It shows which team will be in the NFC top seed and which team will be in the AFC top seed.
On Monday morning, the Dallas Cowboys had to be thinking to themselves, “Hey, if you defeat a team by 42 points, it should count as two wins.” In a close competition for the NFC Playoffs’ top spot and a highly wanted first-round bye, every victory seems like it matters double. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Cowboys will need all the aid they can get to topple the Green Bay Packers.
The Cowboys are presently ranked No. 2 in the NFC, where they started Week 16. All four teams at the top of the standings won on Sunday, with the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tying for second place, one game behind the Packers, with the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As the season reaches Week 17, nothing is certain. However, the Cowboys might find themselves in a three-way tie for first place heading into the final week. What has to happen in order for the Cowboys to get the #1 seed. The following are the possibilities for Week 17:
As the Cowboys prepare to meet the Cardinals on Sunday, how are things in the NFC?
Dallas Cowboys | Getty Images/Richard Rodriguez
The Cowboys are 11-4 this week, one game behind the 12-3 Packers and tied with the Rams and Buccaneers. The Cowboys host the Arizona Cardinals in their final regular-season home game on Sunday. The Cardinals were a strong contender for the top seed just three weeks ago, but have since gone on a three-game losing streak that has left them with a playoff berth clinched at 10-5, but on the outside looking in for the top seed.
The Buccaneers should be able to stay up with the New York Jets for another week, but the Jets do have a pair of home victories this season over AFC playoff-bound Tennessee and Cincinnati, despite their 4-11 record. Despite all of their missing pieces, the Buccaneers had no difficulty defeating Carolina, so even a tenacious Jets club shouldn’t be a danger here.
The Rams, who would love nothing more than to win the AFC West with a win against the Cowboys, must go east to face the desperate Baltimore Ravens, who might get Lamar Jackson back this week. Out-of-conference, it’s hardly a gimme this late in the season.
The Cowboys will be waiting all day for Sunday night thanks to the Packers.
With a 12-3 record, the Packers still have control of their conference’s fate; all they have to do now is win the Minnesota Vikings at home on Sunday night, then beat the Lions in Detroit in Week 18 to clinch the top seed and a first-round bye.
However, a blunder (or two) in the next two weeks allows the Cowboys to take the No. 1 seed. The Cowboys now have the conference-record tiebreaker over the Packers, and if they can gain a game on the Packers in the remaining two weeks, that advantage will only grow. So, a 13-4 or 12-5 record would put the Cowboys in first place.
This would likewise be the situation in a three- or four-way tie between the Rams and/or Buccaneers, with the Cowboys’ conference record taking precedence. If Dallas loses to Arizona this week, wins in Week 18, and Green Bay loses both of its games, a five-way tie at 12-5 may be possible. In such a congested field, Dallas’ conference record would once again tilt the scales in their favor.
Another advantage for the Cowboys. Is that the Vikings always put up a fight against the Packers? Always. In the last 12 encounters between the two teams, the Vikings are 7-4-1, including the two most recent. And the Lions must be thinking that beating the Packers and muddying up their playoff status would make a bad season seem like the 16-0 Patriots in 2007.
Except for one nagging possibility, the tiebreakers are all going Cowboys’ way.
There is one scenario in which the Cowboys may have the best overall record in the league as well as the best conference record and yet be the No. 2 seed.
The Buccaneers are now knotted with the Cowboys at 11-4, and they possess the head-to-head tiebreaker over them thanks to a win in Week 1 approximately a million years ago. However, they all count equally, and the tiebreaker has a chance to be used.
Because the Rams are also 11-4 and haven’t faced both Dallas and Tampa Bay in the regular season, the Cowboys now have the tiebreaker edge. The tiebreaker goes down a rung to conference record in such a situation, when the three matched teams do not have common games against one other. This is where Dallas holds the edge.
There’s a chance the Cowboys may lose the top seed if they return to a two-team tie with Tampa Bay. Dallas and Tampa Bay would both be 13-4, while the Packers and Rams would be 12-5 if the Cowboys and Buccaneers go 2-0, the Packers lose both games against Minnesota and Detroit (on the road), and the Rams split.
The Buccaneers would be seeded first, Dallas would be seeded second, the Packers would be seeded third, and the Rams would be seeded fourth due to their regular-season defeat to Green Bay.
Pro Football Reference provided the statistics.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the number 1 seed in NFC?
A: The number 1 seed in NFC is the New England Patriots.
How can Dallas get the number 1 seed?
A: Dallas will most likely be the number one seed in their conference. They are currently leading the Western Conference with a record of 32-6 and an average of 109 points per game, which is more than enough to top any other teams in that conference.
Can Cowboys Get 3 seed?
A: Cowboys are not in the playoffs for this season, so it is impossible for them to get a 3rd seed.
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