Sunday’s games further shaped the playoff picture in the NFC, with the Minnesota Vikings dropping yet another game and the Atlanta Falcons taking a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
NFL standings 2016: Another Vikings loss means the NFC North is up for grabs
Minnesota lost its fourth straight game on Sunday, muddying the playoff picture for the division.
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Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
In the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys remain on top at 8-1 following a 35-30 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s a decisive lead for the Cowboys, who are two games up on the New York Giants. Washington and the Philadelphia Eagles each have five wins as well.
The Vikings continued a free fall, losing to Washington, and at 5-4, the Vikings are now trailing Detroit, as the Lions are on top of the NFC North. The Green Bay Packers fell to the Tennessee Titans, but they’re not at all out of the running at 4-5.
The Bears don’t have much hope after losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 36-10, bringing Chicago’s record to 2-7.
It was not a banner day for the NFC South, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the only team to pull off a win.
The Carolina Panthers, after winning two consecutive games, dropped a heartbreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs, losing 20-17 at home. The New Orleans Saints also suffered a painful loss to an AFC West team, losing, 25-23, to Denver after a blocked PAT attempt was returned by the Broncos for a touchdown.
And while the Falcons retained the lead in the NFC South, they didn’t strengthen their position in the division with a 24-15 loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia. The Bucs are currently in second place with a 4-5 record, and the Saints are just behind them at 4-5. The Panthers are in last place at 3-6.
In the NFC West, the Seahawks hold on to a two-game lead following their Sunday Night Football win against the New England Patriots. After a win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Arizona Cardinals slid into second place in the West with a 4-2-1 record.
Despite only scoring field goals against the New York Jets, the Rams won, improving Los Angeles’ record to 4-5. Los Angeles is in third place in the division behind the Cardinals. The 49ers remain in last place with just a single win and seven losses.
| NFC East | W | L | T | Division record | Conference record |
| Dallas Cowboys | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2-1 | 5-1 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2-1 | 4-3 |
| Washington | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2-1 | 3-2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0-3 | 3-4 |
| NFC North | W | L | T | Division record | Conference record |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1-2 | 4-2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1-2 | 3-4 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2-1 | 3-3 |
| Chicago Bears | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2-1 | 2-4 |
| NFC South | W | L | T | Division record | Conference record |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3-1 | 4-3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2-1 | 4-3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1-1 | 3-2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0-3 | 3-4 |
| NFC West | W | L | T | Division record | Conference record |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1-1-1 | 2-2-1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2-1-1 | 3-2-1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2-1 | 3-4 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1-3 | 1-7 |
* * *
The Saints lost in a rare, controversial way
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