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Not since 2009 has the NFC East sent two teams to the playoffs, and not since 2007 has the East sent three teams to the playoffs. Yet that is exactly what would happen if the season were to end today: the Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins would all be playoff-bound. The Eagles in turn would be undefeated and playoff-bound if the endzones were on the sides of the field instead of the ends, but for now they're outside looking in.
After eight games, the Cowboys have already created some impressive separation in the NFC playoff race. With the Vikings dropping their third straight game in an overtime loss to the Lions, the Cowboys now have a two-game lead atop the NFC (in the loss column) and will be looking to defend homefield advantage as the No. 1 seed for the rest of the season.
The Falcons took over the No. 2 seed from the faltering Vikings with a routine thrashing of the Buccaneers, and will look to the solidify their playoff position in Week 10 against the vertically-challenged Philadelphia Eagles.
The Seahawks play the Bills tonight, but for now they move up to the No. 3 seed as they watch the Vikings tumble down the playoff ranking to the No. 4 overall seed.
The Packers, previously the No. 5 seed and in the first wild card spot, were knocked out of the playoff race by the Colts yesterday, and the Giants took their spot with a win over the Eagles. The Redskins grabbed the final playoff spot through no effort of their own (they had their bye week), and travel to Minnesota next.
Here's what the NFC playoff picture looks like as of today:
Who's in from the NFC
- East: Dallas Cowboys (7-1)
- South: Atlanta Falcons (6-3)
- North: Minnesota Vikings (5-3)
- West: Seattle Seahawks (4-2-1)
- Wild card: New York Giants (5-3), Washington Redskins (4-3-1)
Who's out in the NFC
- East: Philadelphia Eagles (4-4)
- North: Detroit Lions (5-4), Green Bay Packers (4-4), Chicago Bears (2-6)
- South: New Orleans Saints (4-4), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5), Carolina Panthers (3-5)
- West: Arizona Cardinals (3-4-1), Los Angeles Rams (3-5), San Francisco 49ers (1-7)