The final game of the 2015-16 NFL regular season is underway on Sunday Night Football, and with it comes plenty of playoff implications. All 12 teams that will play in the postseason are already locked in, as is the full seeding in the AFC, but the showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings will have an impact on the NFC side of things.
NFL playoff scenarios 2016: What’s at stake for Vikings vs. Packers on SNF
The NFC North is up for grabs.
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Going into Sunday night’s game, the Packers have the lead in the NFC North division, but the Vikings have the same record, and whoever wins will take said division. Due to the 9-7 finish by Washington in the NFC East, whoever wins the game will wind up as the No. 3 seed in the conference.
The top two spots are already clinched by the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals, so they will be getting first-round byes, but the winner of Sunday night's game will get to host the sixth seed in the wild card round.
In other words, if the Packers win, they will get to hos the sixth seed in the wild card round ... which would happen to be the Vikings. Washington would then host the Seattle Seahawks, the fifth seed. But if the Vikings win, they will host the sixth seed, which in that case would be the Seahawks, who lose the tiebreaker to Green Bay. In that scenario. Washington would host the Packers.
Here are the current standings after the afternoon games on Sunday:
AFC
1. (z) Denver Broncos (12-4)
2. (z) New England Patriots (12-4)
3. (y) Cincinnati Bengals (12-4)
4. (y) Houston Texans (9-7)
5. (x) Kansas City Chiefs (11-5)
6. (x) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
NFC
1. (z) Carolina Panthers (15-1)
2. (z) Arizona Cardinals (13-3)
3. (x) Green Bay Packers (10-5)
4. (y) Washington (9-7)
5. (x) Minnesota Vikings (10-5)
6. (x) Seattle Seahawks (10-6)
(z) - First-round bye
(y) - Division winner
(x) - Playoff berth
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