While there are still four weeks left in the NFL season, the NFC playoff picture is shaping up to be every bit as volatile as what we witnessed at the end of the college football season this past weekend.
As it stands, only the 11–1 Dallas Cowboys (NFC East) have booked a ticket to the post season, with 10–2 Green Bay (NFC North), 8–4 Tampa Bay (NFC South), and 8–4 Seattle (NFC West) currently on top of their respective divisions.
The New York Giants (8–4) have little chance of reeling in the Cowboys but look like a shoo-in for one of the wildcard births.
Dallas seemingly has the easier schedule remaining with match-ups against Detroit, Philadelphia, Carolina, and Washington. However, only the Eagles game will be played within the friendly confines of Texas Stadium.
The Giants still have two games at home and two on the road, but three of their four opponents (Philadelphia, Washington, and Buffalo) have records of .500 or below.
Unfortunately, the Giants will face New England at season's end and there is a distinct possibility that the Pats could be 15–0 by then, needing only one more win for the perfect season.
In the division many consider the NFC's worst, the NFC West leading Seattle Seahawks hold a two-game advantage over the Arizona Cardinals.
Looks like the 6–6 Cardinals are destined to miss the post season yet again, but if they manage to run the table, they could wrestle the division crown away from the Seahawks.
The 'Hawks and Cards meet this week in Seattle and a win by Arizona would put them one game behind the 'Hawks.
Following that key divisional match-up, Arizona has games against sub .500 teams New Orleans, Atlanta, and St. Louis—winnable games for QB Kurt Warner and the Cards.
Final Wildcard
There is a log jam of five teams at 5-7 (Redskins, Eagles, Panthers, Saints, and Bears) and three more at 6–6 (Lions, Vikings, and Cardinals) that could potentially grab the final wildcard spot in the NFC.
The Minnesota Vikings (6-6) are an interesting case as they are a team that is picking up a full head of steam at the right time.
On top of winning three games in a row, the team received a re-injection of energy with the return of star rookie and NFL leading rusher Adrian Peterson after a knee injury.
Peterson showed that his knee is fine, rushing for 116 yards and two TDs in last week's 42–10 rout of Detroit. Young guys heal quickly!
During the two games following Peterson's injury, running back Chester Taylor did a commendable job as starter rushing for 241 yards and four TDs. With both Taylor and Peterson in the backfield there is no reason to think that the Vikings won't continue to average a league best 176.8 rushing yards per game.
Minnesota is also number one in the NFL at stopping the run, allowing a miserly 70.5 yards per game. It's hard to see a team with those kinds of stats missing out on the post season.
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