NFC Playoff Picture: Lions cash in, Falcons path in the South after Week 8

We entered Week 8 with an incredibly crowded playoff picture, and after an early slate in which seemingly every game was decided on the final drive, we've got even more chaos to sort through to determine the NFC playoff picture.

The Detroit Lions remain the conference's one sure thing, continuing to roll without Aidan Hutchinson in a 52-14 romp over the Tennessee Titans. The other big winners were the Atlanta Falcons, who went into Tampa Bay and beat the beleaguered Buccaneers to vault into sole possession of first place in the NFC South. With the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles notching intra-conference road wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively, the Wild Card picture remains tight.

Here's how things stand midway through Week 8.

Updated NFC playoff picture: Lions roll, Falcons stake claim to NFC South

The Lions remain the NFC's sole one-loss team, although trips to Green Bay and Houston in consecutive weeks could very much jeopardize that (and throw into sharp relief just how much this team really needs to find a Hutchinson replacement). This is the best team in the league and the Super Bowl favorite until further notice.

The other big winner here is Atlanta, which now leads the South by a full game over the Bucs with the tiebreaker in hand after polishing off the season sweep on Sunday afternoon. Late trips to Minnesota and Washington aside, the schedule breaks very favorably for Kirk Cousins and Co., and they have to be considered prohibitive favorites for a top-four seed at this point.

Two other teams in the NFC North currently hold Wild Card spots, with the Packers solidfying their spot after avoiding an upset in Jacksonville. The Vikings are reeling a bit following a Thursday night loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but their 5-0 start has given them a bit of cushion to work with. The Seattle Seahawks have a huge opportunity to gain some separation in a struggling NFC West with a win over the Buffalo Bills, while the Chicago Bears need a win at Jayden Daniels and the Commanders to keep pace in the Wild Card race.

Of course, we aren't even technically at the midway point of the regular season, and the trade deadline looms exceptionally large in how it could shake up the NFC Playoff picture moving forward.