With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the NFC remains a gorgeous mystery. Are the Minnesota Vikings capable of dominating any opponent? Can we trust the Dallas Cowboys? Is anybody going to win the NFC South? When will we see Jalen Hurts on the field again? Which are the real Giants — the team that started hot, or has recently faded?
Christmas is going to come and go without bestowing the gift of clarity. But the snapshot after Saturday sets the stage for the sprint to the finish, and for Christmas’ critically important game between the Bucs and Cardinals. Put the cookies and milk out for Santa and chew over our NFC winners and losers. And to all a good night.
Now 11-0 in one-score games after beating the Giants 27-24 on Saturday says the Vikings are battle-tested. It also says they don’t dominate opponents. So, nothing new to see here. The Vikings are still alive for the NFC’s top seed.
San Francisco 49ers · QB
The 49ers won their eighth game in a row, 37-20 over the Washington Commanders, and yes, of course we know they are powered by their defense. But the rookie quarterback is now 3-0 as a starter and while San Francisco was 1-of-5 in the red zone, Purdy connected twice with George Kittle for touchdowns. The 37 points was the most the offense has scored with Purdy as a starter. Most importantly, he has shown uncommon poise and has avoided mistakes in a pressure-packed situation as the 49ers surge toward the postseason.
The defense gave up a lot of yards and a lot of points to a backup quarterback in a 40-34 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, but it also had four takeaways, which keyed the victory. That kept the Cowboys alive to win the NFC East, and they are guaranteed to be no worse than the top NFC wild-card team. Nearly as important is that Dak Prescott rebounded from an early pick-six to bring his team from behind when the Eagles threatened to pull away — he threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns. On third-and-30 midway through the fourth quarter, he hit on a 52-yard connection with T.Y. Hilton on the drive that ended with the tying touchdown. There will be questions about whether the defense can be entirely trusted in the playoffs, but after the collapse against the Jaguars last week, this should be a confidence boost as the playoffs approach.
They didn’t even play Saturday, but they won over and over. The four teams ahead of them in the NFC standings — the Giants, Commanders, Seahawks and Lions — all lost, keeping the door open for the Packers to make a run at the postseason. The Packers play Sunday at Miami.
Losers with silver linings
A blocked punt. An interception. Dropped passes. Penalties. Struggles on third down. The Giants were just a bit too sloppy Saturday and still had a chance to beat the Vikings on the road (for what that says about Minnesota, see above). In losing, the Giants blew an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot and failed to win for the fifth time in six games. The loss, though, was mitigated by losses by the Seahawks and Lions, which allowed the Giants to remain the sixth seed and set up a win-and-in scenario in Week 17 at home against the Colts or, failing that, in the season-finale against the Eagles.
Their loss to the Cowboys meant the Eagles did not wrap up the NFC’s top seed Saturday. That means they will have a decision to make about whether quarterback Jalen Hurts, who missed Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury, should return to play the Saints in Week 17. But it’s hard to worry too much about a team that put up 442 yards and 34 points on the road with a backup quarterback, while sacking the opposing quarterback six times. Tackle Lane Johnson was injured in the fourth quarter and if that turns out to be serious, the silver lining wouldn’t shine quite so bright.
Before they even stepped on the field, losses by the Seahawks and Lions put the Commanders into the seventh seed. That was a win. And then came the losses. With the team trailing, coach Ron Rivera benched Taylor Heinicke for Carson Wentz — news that was received by Heinicke with a slammed helmet. Rivera now has a quarterback decision to make. The Commanders are still the seventh seed and still hold a win-and-in road to the playoffs. But in falling to 7-7-1, their margin for error has become razor thin, with the Seahawks and either the Packers or Lions (they play each other in Week 18) still able to finish 9-8. Most daunting is that the midseason push that got the Commanders into the race has faded. Washington hasn’t won in a month.
The defense, the Lions’ Achilles’ heel all season, gave up a stunning 320 yards rushing to the Panthers on Saturday, stalling the playoff push of one of the league’s hottest teams. The Lions tumbled to 7-8 and the NFC’s ninth seed. They’ve still won six of their last eight games, but they now need help to get into the playoffs.
Despite Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder improving in his second career start, the 17-9 loss to Baltimore officially eliminated Atlanta from the playoff race.