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1. Detroit Lions (13-2, NFC North)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3, NFC East)
3. Los Angeles Rams (9-6, NFC West)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6, NFC South)
Detroit rolled past the hapless Bears and received a little help, too. Philadelphia lost quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion) early in a loss to Washington, so the Lions are again a game clear of the Eagles—with the tiebreaker, too—entering the last two weekends.
5. Minnesota Vikings (13-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (10-4)
7. Washington Commanders (10-5)
Minnesota, which clinched a playoff spot last week, beat Seattle and stayed tied with Detroit for the NFC’s best record. That division race could go down to the Week 18 clash between the Vikings and Lions. Washington, meanwhile, snatched a clutch victory over Philly to give itself two chances to seal a postseason bid down the stretch.
8. Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
9. Atlanta Falcons (8-7)
After a string of unimpressive games by Kirk Cousins, Atlanta turned to Michael Penix Jr. for his first career start. He helped the Falcons cruise past the hapless Giants and keep the pressure in Tampa Bay—which plays Sunday night—in the NFC South race. Seattle’s loss to Minnesota dropped the Seahawks a game behind the Rams in the NFC West.
10. Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
11. Dallas Cowboys (6-8)
12. San Francisco 49ers (6-9)
13. New Orleans Saints (5-9)
14. Chicago Bears (4-11)
15. Carolina Panthers (4-11)
16. New York Giants (2-13)
As expected, Week 16 sealed the fate of the 49ers, Cowboys and Saints. Washington’s win eliminated San Francisco and Dallas, while Atlanta’s victory sent New Orleans into offseason mode. Arizona, however, joined the unfortunate group with a surprising loss at Carolina.