With only a few weeks left in the NFL regular season, a few favorites have emerged in the NFC wild card race. With the San Francisco 49ers losing to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, they played themselves two games out of a playoff spot.
Who are the teams they are chasing?
At first glance, it looks like the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. These are three teams we did not expect to be in this position, but for differing reasons. The three teams are coming from three different positions, but now with only three games left, they will be doing everything they can to grab one of those spots.
The Champions: Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks entered this season on top of the world. They won the Super Bowl in dominant fashion against the Broncos, and started the season as favorites to repeat. But the Seahawks were shaky early in their campaign. They lost three of their first six, including games against the St. Louis Rams and their fellow wild card candidate Dallas Cowboys. Although the Seahawks would struggle against their next two foes, the Carolina Panthers and the Oakland Raiders, they proceeded to win 6 of their next 7, and currently have a record of 9-4.
The Seahawks final three games come against their division rivals, and all three of them can decide their season. First up are the 49ers, who despite being two games back could find themselves right back in the hunt with a win. They then play the most important game of their season in week 16 when they visit the Cardinals in Arizona. A win here gives them control of the division. If they win both of those weeks, they will almost definitely be in the playoffs. If not the season finale is against a tough Rams team that previously beat them this season.
The Seahawks currently have the best chance to make the playoffs of the three teams, and will probably end up winning their division. But they have the hardest schedule of the three coming up, and cannot afford any mistakes.
The Dark Horse: Dallas Cowboys
With only three games to play, the Cowboys are currently the odd team out, sitting in seventh place in the NFC. The Cowboys have been in this position before, though. The last three seasons they were only one game away from the playoffs, but a late season collapse led to an 8-8 season.
But these are not the same Cowboys from years past. After a disappointing week one loss to the 49ers, the Cowboys went on to win six straight games and position themselves for a playoff run. Led by record breaking play by running back DeMarco Murray, it looked like the Cowboys may be Super Bowl contenders.
But after Tony Romo was injured against the rival Washington Redskins, the Cowboys lost two straight and fell from their position on top of the league. They won two straight games to recover their season and avoid going into a total free fall, but they were dominated in a key Thanksgiving match up against the Eagles.
The 9-4 Cowboys have a chance to get back to first place in their division this Saturday when they take on the Eagles. Not only is this a must win game in the NFC East, but also in the wild card race. A loss puts them behind two teams already in front. They then play a Colts team which will be involved in their own playoff battle and finish up with the Redskins who previously beat them.
The Cowboys schedule is not as hard as that of Seattle, but they realistically can lose all three games. The Eagles and Colts are both strong teams that unlike the Cowboys, do not have a history of losing key games late in the year. The Redskins are currently in shambles, but that did not stop them from beating the Cowboys in Arlington when they played each other earlier in the season.
The Underdogs: Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are one of the few teams in the NFL that can play like Super Bowl favorites one week, then play like an 0-16 team the next. The Lions managed to exhibit this in their first two games. The started the season with a dominant victory over a New York Giants team that knocked them out of the playoffs the previous year. They then lost in a terrible outing against a less than average Carolina Panthers team, only to beat the rival Packers one week later.
The Lions season has been full of ups and downs, and at one point had a three game span where they trailed with less than a minute to play, but still won. Star wideout Calvin Johnson has missed a lot of games due to injury, but after putting out a few monstrous performances, he seems to be back to his old form.
The Lions enter the homestretch with an easy run of games. They play the Vikings this week followed by a Bears team that just have not figured it out yet this season. But in week 17 they have their biggest game of the year. They head to Green Bay, where they have not won in over two decades, in a game that will decide the winner of the NFC North.
The Lions should easily win their next two games, but they do have history of losing easy games down the stretch. The two teams are also divisional rivals who may want revenge for earlier losses. They will probably lose in week 17, as an already hard matchup is looking even more difficult this year as the Packers begin to look like one of the best teams in the NFL.
Who’s In?
Unless they absolutely melt down, the Seahawks are almost a lock for the playoffs. They have a hard schedule, but all three of their games are winnable. The Lions should also get through, winning two of three with a tie breaker over the Cowboys via conference record. The Cowboys are not has skilled as the other two, and have a much harder schedule.
In the end only two of the three can make the playoffs, and the Cowboys will probably be the odd team out. But in the NFL, a single Sunday can change anything.
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