Updated NFC Playoff Picture, NFC Wild Card standings after Bucs and Packers lose again

Let’s check the pulse on the NFC Playoff Picture and NFC Wild Card standings now that we’re through Week 7 of the season. 

It was another week of the supposed Super Bowl contenders in the NFC falling flat on their faces, and unexpected success continuing for teams no one expected to be in control of the NFL Playoff Picture.

Both Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady lost for the second straight week and major questions remain about just how serious their teams are as contenders. The Buccaneers and Packers have identical records through the first seven weeks of the season, and the Bucs are somehow still in the lead of the NFC South, but both teams are very quickly being passed up in their own conference.

The New York Giants moved to 6-1 on the season, in one of the most surprising star turns of the year. It’s perhaps still to early to deem them this year’s Cincinnati Bengals, but there’s something special about Brian Daboll’s team and what they’re doing.

What’s working against the Giants is that they’re in perhaps the best division on football. With the Philadelphia Eagles on a bye, New York couldn’t make up too much ground and the Cowboys beating the Lions didn’t do much to shift power out East. A saving grace for the Giants is how bad the Cowboys looked against the Lions despite having Dak Prescott back under center.

Updated NFC Playoff Picture after Week 7 (Updated after Monday Night Football)

The NFC Playoff picture continues to simmer but hasn’t yet boiled over — but it feels like we’re reaching that point. With the Buccaneers and Packers looking so bad, it feels like a matter of time before they fall out of serious contention.

For Green Bay, they’re already on the outside of the playoff picture looking in and a loss to Washington furthered the distance between the Vikings in first place.

Here’s a look at what the NFC Playoff bracket would look like if the postseason started today:

1. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0)
2. Minnesota Vikings (5-1)
3. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)
5. New York Giants (6-1)
6. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
7. Los Angeles Rams (3-3)

Based on those standings, here’s what the playoff matchups would look like for the first weekend of action:

• (2) Minnesota Vikings vs. (7) Los Angeles Rams
• (3) Seattle Seahawks vs. (6) Dallas Cowboys
• (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (5) New York Giants

Each higher-seeded team would host its Wild Card Weekend matchup. The Philadelphia Eagles would have a first-round bye with the No. 1 seed and host any playoff game they play in.

NFC Wild Card standings after Week 7

Just like last year, the NFC will have three Wild Card teams. In years past only two Wild Card teams punched a ticket to the playoffs, but the new postseason structure means there’s an extra team playing on Wild Card Weekend.

Typically the lowest-seeded team would play the third-best division winner. Now the lowest-seeded team plays the second-best team — which seems like a raw deal but might not end up mattering too much based on the parity in the NFC this season.

Here’s what the Wild Card standings look like after Week 5:

1. New York Giants (6-1)
2. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
3. Los Angeles Rams (3-3)
4. Sean Francisco 49ers (4-3)
5. Green Bay Packers (3-4)
6. Atlanta Falcons (3-4)
7. Washington Commanders (3-4)
8. Arizona Cardinals (3-4)
9. Chicago Bears (3-4)
10. New Orleans Saints (2-5)
11. Carolina Panthers (2-4)
12. Detroit Lions (1-5)

NFC Playoff Picture Tiebreaker Scenarios

With so many teams tied in the standings, a handful of tiebreakers come into play based on various factors related to the schedule.

• Buccaneers win tiebreaker over Atlanta based on head-to-head win percentage.
• 49ers hold tiebreaker tie break over Atlanta, Green Bay, and Washington based on best win percentage in conference games
• Packers hold tiebreaker over Atlanta based on strength of schedule. Wins tie break over Arizona and Washington based on strength of victory.