A Green and Gold Christmas (NFC Week 17)

Similar to the AFC, the National Football Conference could see everything completed before the regular season ends. It's been quite chaotic in the NFC; teams who are usually not in it are suddenly deep in the picture. Scenarios are insane and wild in the NFC, it's been that way in the conference for a long time, and this year is no exception. Out of the seven spots in the NFC, five of them are locked in, leaving two remaining and three divisions up for grabs.

So let's get this party started!

Seattle Seahawks (12-3)

No one had the Seattle Seahawks at #1 in the conference this late. NO ONE. The Rams had #1 on lockdown, and then they went to Seattle. The Hawks won in OT against the Rams, not only clinching a playoff spot, but moving into #1 in the entire conference. Also as a result, the Seahawks can get it all, but first, the division. The Seahawks can clinch the NFC West with a win, a Rams loss or tie, and a Niners loss or tie. If they tie, both the Rams and Niners have to lose. As for the #1 seed, the Hawks can only get that with a win, a Rams loss or tie, and Bears/Niners ending tied. The Seahawks will be in Charlotte during Sunday's early window.

Chicago Bears (11-4)

Christmas came early for the Bears, as they won their version of the Super Bowl on Saturday. Now the Bears have a strong lead in the NFC North, and they have an outside shot at the #1 seed. They don't control their destiny regarding the #1 seed, but they do regarding just the division. A win over the Niners on Sunday Night Football gets it. If the Packers tie before the Bears take the field, a tie gets it. The Bears can also lock up the division with a Packers loss.

Philadelphia Eagles (10-5)

Christmas also came early for the team who actually won the Super Bowl, as the Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC East on Saturday; back-to-back division titles for the Eagles. Regarding anything else, the Eagles have clinched all they can get. They have at least one home playoff game waiting for them, and it will be on Wild Card Weekend because they are out of the race for the #1 seed. The best they can do is the #2 seed and they'll have to win out and hope that either the Packers win the North, or the Bears do so with less than 12 wins, because the Bears have head-to-head over Philly thanks to that Black Friday disaster.

San Francisco 49ers (11-4)

The story of this year's Niners has been wild, to say the least. The injury bug has hit this team ever since the 2020s started, and it hit them bad this year. Nevertheless, they persisted. 11 wins so far, and could be on the cusp of winning the division. The Niners clinched a playoff spot on Sunday, a day before they took the field and blew out the Colts. They host the Bears on Sunday Night Football, but their season finale will see them welcome the Seahawks, and if things go right for them, that could be for the NFC West and the #1 seed. We had a game like that in last year's Game #272. Could we see it again in this year's finale?

Los Angeles Rams (11-4)

As a fan of a team in a "Group of Death" division (the Colorado Avalanche), I sympathize with the Rams. The Rams kicked ass and had #1 for weeks. They were the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season. The problem: they had the Hawks and Niners on their asses. That means that if LA slipped on one banana peel, they'd fall off. Sure enough, that's what happened. The Rams lost two of their last three games. That is not a real skid, but in the NFC West, it's the same as if they had lost five of seven. The Rams entered Week 16 at #1, and they ended it at #6. They still have a shot at the division, but they have to win out and the Niners and Hawks need to lose out. The Rams will be in Atlanta for the final regular season Monday game.

So those five teams are playoff bound, but there are still four teams playing for four spots:

NFC South

The NFC South is always interesting, maybe not for positive reasons, but still, it's intriguing. It's Christmas Eve, and the Carolina Panthers are leading the division outright. Can you believe it? The team who won only two games two years ago is now (at most) two wins away from winning the division. Carolina can clinch the South this week with a win and a Buccaneers loss or tie, or a tie and a Buccaneers loss. The Panthers will host the Seahawks, while the Bucs will be in Miami. If the Panthers lose and/or the Bucs win, then next week: Panthers @ Bucs for the division, and that most likely will be Game #272 on the first Sunday of 2026.

Green Bay Packers (9-5-1)

I'll be honest and blunt, I was devastated when we lost on Saturday. This is Jordan Love's third year as our starter, and he hasn't had a home playoff game. Winning the division gets that, but Saturday made things very difficult; even worse when Love ended up out for the rest of the game. There is good news. It looks like Love's on the verge of coming back for Saturday's home finale against the Ravens. Also, the Lions loss on Sunday made things easier for us. Now, we control our own destiny for getting in. A win or tie, and we're in. We can actually clinch on Christmas Day--two days before we take the field--if the Lions lose or tie. As for the division, we are 1.5 games behind with two left. We have to at least make up that deficit to win the North, meaning we have to win out, and the Bears (at least) cannot win either of their final two games. Next week, the Packers are in Minnesota, while the Bears host Detroit. If the NFC North is still up for grabs in the final week, I can see both NFC North games airing on Saturday, January 3, to kick off Week 18--similar to how the AFC North was shown last year.

Detroit Lions (8-7)

I said before the season started that the Lions had nowhere else to go but down, because they won 15 games last year, and there's only two non-tie records better than that. When I said that, I figured that Detroit would win about 11 games and still give the Packers problems in the North. I didn't predict, well, this. I didn't think the Lions would be on the brink of being eliminated on Christmas Day. Yet that is what the Lions face. They have their backs to the wall entering Week 17. They are 1.5 games behind the Packers, and they have to pass us to get in. The Lions have to win out and we have to lose out, because if the teams finish tied, we have the H2H. The Lions have back-to-back road division games to end the season. First, they're in Minnesota on Christmas Day, and then they'll be in the Windy City on the final week.

* * *

That's the picture within the National Football Conference. It's going to be insane during the penultimate week of the season, and the fun for us NFC fans starts on Christmas Day. Cowboys/Commanders is completely irrelevant, but Lions/Vikings has some meaning. Regarding that game... go Vikings! I managed to say that without throwing up in my mouth. It's a Christmas miracle!

Have a wonderful Christmas, football fans!