Updated NFC playoff picture, Week 13: 49ers are top seed but Saints loom
The NFC playoff picture got a potential NFC Championship Game preview with the 49ers playing the Packers but are the Saints the team to beat in the NFC?
If the New Orleans Saints weren’t robbed by a botched defensive pass interference non-call in last season’s NFC Championship Game, Drew Brees may have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in his Hall-of-Fame career.
Brees and the Saints are back with a vengeance in 2019, and while it’s unclear if they are the best team in the NFC, they are certainly on the shortlist.
New Orleans outlasted the rival Carolina Panthers in a 34-31 victory in Week 13, showcasing more of their elite offensive firepower.
Here’s how the NFC playoff picture looks in Week 13:
- San Francisco 49ers
- New Orleans Saints
- Green Bay Packers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Seattle Seahawks
- Minnesota Vikings
Although the have been far from convincing due to Jared Goff’s woeful play at quarterback, the Los Angeles Rams would be one game out with a win on Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens. They could be the third team to make the playoffs from the cutthroat NFC West. At 6-4, the Rams are a notch above a mediocre pack of teams that includes the underperforming Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, as well as the sinking Panthers.
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Among the playoff favorites, the Seahawks, Saints, 49ers, and Packers all look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders, with the Vikings looking more like a pretender than contender. Kirk Cousins is impossible to trust even Stefon Diggs and Dalvin Cook having Pro Bowl seasons and a star-studded defense.
As for the Cowboys, they could be in trouble. Their loss to the Patriots puts them only one game ahead of the Eagles in the NFC East, even though the Eagles looked equally poor offensively against another Super Bowl favorite in Seattle. There is a clear gulf in class between Dallas and the other division leaders.