Top Dogs Battle for Home Field (NFC Week 17)

I am a Green Bay Packers fan who is quite excited for Week 17, and the reason is obvious. There are four teams jockeying for the #1 position, and not only are the Packers in the race, they're on top of it. It's a very tight race up top, and there's also a very interesting battle in the Wild Card standings as well. Here's a look at the National Football Conference's standings entering the penultimate week of the season.

The Packers are at the #1 position at 12-3, maintaining their hold after their home win over the Browns on Christmas. A three-way tie exists at 11-4, and it's the Dallas Cowboys who hold the #2 position, thanks to their 9-1 conference record. The #3 spot is currently held by the Los Angeles Rams, who took over the NFC West lead with their 30-23 win over the Minnesota Vikings, and at #4, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand as champions of the NFC South. All three 11-4 teams clinched spots in the playoffs during Week 16.

The slumping Arizona Cardinals have dropped to the #5 position, which is the first Wild Card slot. The Cards lost on Christmas Day to the Colts, making them 3-5 since starting 7-0 this season. In spite of this, the Cardinals backed into the playoffs thanks to not only the Rams beating the Vikings, but also the 49ers losing on Thursday Night Football. Speaking of the San Francisco 49ers, they and the Philadelphia Eagles are tied at 8-7, but head-to-head places the Niners at the #6 spot, while the Eagles are placed at #7. As for the other side of the playoff line, only four teams are still in the running: the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints, and the Washington Football Team. The first three teams are tied at 7-8, while Washington's embarrassing 56-14 loss dropped them to 6-9 and on the brink of elimination.

Two playoff spots remain in the NFC and they both be nabbed this week, as well as home field and the NFC West. Here are the scenarios.

The Green Bay Packers have held the #1 position in the NFC for the last three weeks, and in Week 17, Aaron Rodgers and company have a chance to stay there. A win and a Cowboys loss or tie will lock in the #1 seed for the Packers, but if they tie, a Cowboys loss, and either a Rams loss/tie coupled with a Bucs loss, or a Rams loss coupled with a Bucs tie will get it done as well. The Packers host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football, and if they wrap up home field with a week to go, then it will most likely result in Rodgers sitting out for most of the team's season finale in Detroit, allowing Jordan Love to start. If Dallas wins, the Packers will get #1 simply by winning out.

Remember when it seemed like the Los Angeles Rams were in deep trouble? That talk is gone now. The Rams are back on the winning track, and at a good time, too, as the Arizona Cardinals are going in the wrong direction. The Rams moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC West, and during Week 17, they can lock up the division with a win and a Cardinals loss or tie. If the Rams tie, the Cardinals have to lose. The Rams will remain on the road, heading to Baltimore to face the Ravens. As for the Cardinals, they'll be in Jerry World facing the Cowboys. I'm going to be blunt: I do not trust the Cardinals to get it done against Dallas. Out of their five losses, four were at home, and their one road loss was against the 2-12-1 Lions. Yikes.

The San Francisco 49ers' 2020 season was supposed to be a road back to the Super Bowl, but injuries to literally everyone on the team but Robbie Gould put a kibosh on those plans. This year has seen the Niners with only a few injuries, but with a lot of their core team still intact, and as a result, they could be playoff bound. The Niners can get in with a win and a Saints loss or tie, but if they tie, they need the Saints to lose, and neither the Falcons nor the Vikings can win. The Niners will host the Houston Texans, so the win should come to them. However, the Saints will host the Carolina Panthers, who got eliminated with their blowout loss to the Buccaneers.

The Philadelphia Eagles have turned it around after their disastrous 2020 season, mainly thanks to the efforts of Jalen Hurts, who led them back into playoff contention. The Eagles can get into the playoffs with a win, a Vikings loss or tie, and either the Saints failing to win or the Niners failing to lose. If they tie, a Vikings loss, a Falcons loss or tie, and either a Saints loss or a Saints tie coupled with a Niners win or tie will get them in. The Eagles will face the Washington Football Team this week; the second meeting in less than two weeks--the Eagles defeated Washington on December 21.

As a result of the clinching scenarios, all four teams behind the playoff line will face elimination. The Minnesota Vikings are the lead 7-8 team, but their playoff hopes are on life support entering Week 17. If either the Eagles or Falcons win before the Vikings take the field, then the Vikings will be eliminated with a loss in Lambeau (shades of 2016, when the Packers eliminated the Vikings in the penultimate week). Despite three of their seven wins coming against Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, the New Orleans Saints could see their season end on Week 17 if they lose and both the Eagles and Niners win. The Falcons are in more trouble; their next loss will end their season, and they're in Buffalo facing the Bills this week. Even worse is Washington, as their next loss or their next tie will be their undoing. Week 17 will be quite interesting in the National Football Conference.

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