7. Washington Commanders at 2. Philadelphia Eagles

6. Green Bay Packers at 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

5. Minnesota Vikings at 4. Los Angeles Rams

1. Detroit Lions (12-2; lead NFC North; clinched playoff berth)

2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2; lead NFC East; clinched playoff berth)

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6; lead NFC South)

4. Los Angeles Rams (8-6; lead NFC West)

5. Minnesota Vikings (12-2, clinched playoff berth)

6. Green Bay Packers (10-4)

7. Washington Commanders (9-5)

8. Seattle Seahawks (8-6)

10. Arizona Cardinals (7-7)

11. San Francisco 49ers (6-8)

13. New Orleans Saints (5-9)

15. Carolina Panthers (3-11)

16. New York Giants (2-12)

The Detroit Lions still control their own destiny for the NFC’s No. 1 seed despite losing 48-42 to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. However, they’ll need to win a pair of road games (at Chicago, at San Francisco) and take down the 12-2 Minnesota Vikings at home to do so. Detroit, of course, could get some help and avoid needing to win three in a row.

However, the 12-2 Philadelphia Eagles look strong right now as winners of 10 straight. They have a tough matchup on Sunday at the 9-5 Washington Commanders but then face the 6-8 Dallas Cowboys and 2-12 New York Giants at home to close the season.

The Vikings won five straight, lost a pair and then ride into Week 16 with seven straight victories. They close the season with a brutal stretch, first at the 8-6 Seattle Seahawks before heading home to host the 10-4 Green Bay Packers. Then they head to Detroit in a game that could decide the division as well as the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started 4-2, lost four straight and then won four in a row to move to 8-6, good enough for a one-game edge on the 7-7 Atlanta Falcons. They need a buffer with the Falcons owning the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Bucs by virtue of their season series sweep. Tampa Bay closes at the 6-8 Dallas Cowboys Sunday, but then should be clear favorites at home against the 5-9 New Orleans Saints and 3-11 Carolina Panthers.

The Falcons need to gain a game on the Bucs to win the division, and they’ve tasked rookie signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. to lead the team in doing so. Penix has a nice warm-up in his first game Sunday at home versus the 2-2 Giants, but it gets much tougher the following Sunday at night against the Commanders. Atlanta then closes at home versus the Panthers.

In the West, the Rams have moved to 8-6 after winning seven of their last nine. That stretch includes a 28-20 victory over the Vikings and a 44-42 win against the 11-3 Buffalo Bills. So this Rams team is legit and very well could win out and clinch the division. They finish the year at the 4-10 New York Jets before hosting the 7-7 Arizona Cardinals and 8-6 Seattle Seahawks.

Speaking of which, Seattle and Arizona are still in it (the 6-8 San Francisco 49ers are mathematically alive as well but need a tremendous amount of help at this juncture). Seattle’s recent four-game win streak ended with a thud after the Seahawks fell 30-13 to the Green Bay Packers. Now a tough home matchup with the Vikings awaits before they hit the road against the 4-10 Chicago Bears and the Rams.

Arizona needs some help to win the division at a game behind. Worse yet, the Cardinals don’t have the head-to-head tiebreaker against Seattle, who beat Arizona twice earlier this year. The Cardinals do have a win on the Rams, though, and will visit them on Saturday, Dec. 28 in L.A. Arizona was previously in the driver’s seat for the division at 6-4 but lost three straight. The Cardinals took care of the New England Patriots, 30-17, though, to move back to .500. They visit the Carolina Panthers before the Rams game and a home date with the San Francisco 49ers.