After a loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Washington Football Team's fate remains in its hands. Here's a look at the NFC playoff picture heading into the last game of the regular season:
Division Leaders
1. Green Bay Packers (12-3): Green Bay, which has already clinched the NFC North title, can secure the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if either it defeats the Chicago Bears or the Seattle Seahawks lose to the San Francisco 49ers.
2. New Orleans Saints (11-4): New Orleans has clinched the NFC South, but the road to the top of the NFC is more complicated. In order for the Saints to secure the bye, Drew Brees and company will need to defeat the Carolina Panthers, as well as depend on a Packers loss and a Seahawks win.
3. Seattle Seahawks (11-4): Seattle has clinched the the NFC West for the first time since 2016 with its Week 16 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks also have a shot to secure the first-round bye, but for that to happen, they must win and the Packers and Saints have to lose.
4. Washington Football Team (6-9): Despite a loss to Carolina, Washington remains in the top spot in the NFC East. For Washington, it's simple: beat the Eagles and make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Otherwise, the division will go to the winner of the New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game.
Wild Card Race
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-5): Tampa Bay returned to the top spot in the wild card race after defeating the Detroit Lions. The Buccaneers would lock up the fifth spot with a win over the Atlanta Flacons, but they would fall to sixth with a loss and a Rams win.
6. Los Angeles Rams (9-6): Los Angeles fell to the sixth spot after losing to the Seahawks. The Rams would clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Arizona Cardinals and secure the fifth seed with a victory and a Buccaneers loss. But if the Rams lose, they would miss the postseason if the Bears beat the Packers.
7. Chicago Bears (8-7): Chicago entered the playoff picture by defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars for its third straight win. The Bears would punch their ticket to the postseason with either a win or a Cardinals loss.
In The Hunt
8. Arizona Cardinals (8-7): The Cardinals fell out of the playoff picture after losing to the 49ers, but they still control their own destiny. As long as they beat the Rams, they will make the postseason for the first time since 2015.
