There are still three weeks left to go in the regular season, but the Panthers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. Their own embarrassing loss to the Falcons was bad enough. It was the Vikings’ victory over the Lions that made it official, though.
Here’s where things stand in the NFC playoff picture heading into Monday night’s game between the Eagles and Giants.
Playoff teams
1. San Francisco 49ers (11-2)
2. Green Bay Packers (10-3)
3. New Orleans Saints (10-3)
4. Dallas Cowboys (6-7)
5. Seattle Seahawks (10-3)
6. Minnesota Vikings (9-4)
Still in the race
7. Los Angeles Rams (8-5)
8. Chicago Bears (7-6)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)
The Eagles can still catch Dallas for that No. 4 seed but they are running out of time. A win tonight against an awful New York team with Eli Manning starting again is an absolute must.
Seattle’s loss to the Rams on Sunday night kept LA in the race for the No. 6 spot. Jared Goff has turned things around after a brutal stretch and put some pressure on Kirk Cousins and Minnesota to maintain that seed. The Vikings close out the regular season against the Chargers (away), Packers (home) and Bears (home). The Rams will face the Cowboys (away), 49ers (away) and Cardinals (home).
