NFL standings and playoff picture 2014: Seahawks, Eagles tighten grip on postseason

On Thanksgiving, three games, all involving a pair of NFC teams, helped to further shape the postseason landscape. In Detroit, the Lions handled the Chicago Bears easily. With their victory, Matthew Stafford and company now sit at 8-4 and in control of the sixth and final playoff seed. Detroit wins the tiebreaker against the Dallas Cowboys based on record against common opponents.

Speaking of Dallas, it put itself in a tough position by getting waxed at home by the Philadelphia Eagles. Mark Sanchez and LeSean McCoy went wild against the Cowboys, dropping them out of the playoffs for the moment. With the rematch in Philadelphia and the Eagles already holding the NFC East tiebreaker via division record, Dallas is likely looking at a wild-card berth. Philadelphia, on the other hand, is the No. 2 seed right now, although a Green Bay Packers win on Sunday would put them in the third slot.

In the Thanksgiving nightcap, the Seattle Seahawks dominated the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium, winning 19-3. With the key victory, Seattle enjoys the fifth seed while San Francisco falls to 7-5 and eighth in the NFC. The 49ers have a brutal road ahead, still having to make a trip to Seattle and host the Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers.

As mentioned above, the Eagles are 9-3 and a full game ahead of the Cowboys. Additionally, they hold the tiebreaker even if they lose to Dallas in the rematch at Lincoln Financial Field. With only four games remaining, Philadelphia is in firm control. Washington and the New York Giants are out of the race at 3-8 each.

This is another two-horse race. The Lions are a half-game behind the Packers at 8-4. Green Bay could lose this week, hosting the New England Patriots. Should the Packers falter, the Lions would move into first place via the head-to-head tiebreaker. The two teams meet in Week 17 for the rematch at Lambeau Field.

The worst division in football continues to stagger the imagination. The Atlanta Falcons are awful and yet lead this race at 4-7, via a Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints, who also are 4-7. The Carolina Panthers are also in the mix at 3-7-1, but have already lost home games to Atlanta and New Orleans. Whoever wins this division will be the No. 4 seed.

Barring a miracle, the Patriots will take the division. New England is 9-2 and still hosts the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, who are both 6-5 respectively. Miami has a soft schedule, facing the Vikings and the Jets twice. Currently, the Dolphins are 10th in the AFC. Buffalo hosts Cleveland this weekend and still has to play Denver and Green Bay as well.

This is the polar opposite of the NFC South. All four teams are above .500, with the Cincinnati Bengals leading the pack at 7-3-1. The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns are 7-4 but sit outside the playoffs at seventh, eighth and ninth respectively due to tiebreakers. Cincinnati still has to face Pittsburgh twice and visit Cleveland, while the Ravens host the Browns in Week 17.

Very simple stuff here. The Indianapolis Colts are 7-4 and going to win this division. Currently, the Colts are the fourth seed and might be hard-pressed to earn a bye with losses to the Broncos and Patriots. Nobody else in this division will make the playoffs.

The Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs play on Sunday night, which will either make this picture clear up or make it even less clear. Denver is 8-3 while Kansas City is 7-4. A Broncos win puts them two ahead of the Chiefs with the tiebreaker clinched. A loss and Denver still holds the tiebreaker, but could lose the it with a loss at San Diego. The Chargers are 7-4 and sit as a sixth seed, one spot behind the Chiefs. If the season ended today, the Chargers would be at Cincinnati and Kansas City would visit the Colts, the same matchups as last year.