Playoff picture if the season ended today

[punit328]

What’s the earliest we can clinch a playoff spot?

 

[Motorola]

Can't believe the Falcons are on top of the South.

Carr must be really bad.

For context.....the Bucs are only a game back from 1st place (lol) and the Lions are falling like a rock.

Anybody actually worried about the NFC South teams?

If 5th is the best seed we can get just let Lance start against the commodes.

NFC South race really no different from last season.
2022 standings__
Tampa Bay won division stumbling to an 8-9 record; Carolina, New Orleans, Atlanta all finished one game behind going 7-10.
Division title basically decided the last week = final game.

Now - during 2023 ---
Falcons and Saints 5-6, Buccaneers 4-7.
Outside of vastly more starting experience...
is the Saints' combo of Derek Carr and Jameis Winston head and shoulders above -
Falcons' Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke;
Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask?

 

[CCBoy]

If Dallas can’t win the East, that’s the part of the bracket to be in

Atlanta and then the Eagles to the NFC Championship!



Since the 49ers loss, the Cowboys have played like one of the best teams in football.

They did lose to the Eagles on the road, but the offense put up over 450 yards, and they had plenty of chances to win the game.

Now, as Dak Prescott has continued to play well, it’s all about that they haven’t played anyone.

Seattle has beaten the Lions and the Browns, so if the Cowboys can pull out the win on Thursday, I don’t want anyone moving the goalposts and talking about them not being good.





https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...udience?ueid=d29e426080d34b77c2be722b7ff361fb

 

[CCBoy]

They are? They're 7-2 in their last 9 games. The loss against GB was ugly, but I think they will be fine.

They are beatable and lost to Seattle.

 

[CCBoy]

Current rankings this week:

1. San Francisco
2. Baltimore
3. Philadelphia
4. Dallas
5. Kansas City
6. Miami
7. Jacksonville
8. Detroit
9. Buffalo


12. Seattle

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/li...-rankings-cowboys-eagles-chiefs-ravens-49ers/

Lot of teams with real potential to make influences felt.

 

[DallasEast]

This probably won't change much........

Good. The best teams beat the best opponents when it counts the most. That team can be Dallas. They must simply play better than everyone else in the playoffs regardless if it is on the road. It has been done before.

 

[CCBoy]

Since the 42-10 loss at San Francisco in Week 5 - a game in which the Cowboys didn't look like they belonged on the same field with the 49ers - Dallas has found solid footing.

And it couldn't come at a better time. ... because here comes "The Gauntlet.''

The Cowboys are 5-1 after that loss, with the lone defeat coming 28-23 in Philadelphia to the Eagles. And Dallas had opportunities to win that game against a team that after Sunday's OT win over Buffalo is 10-1 ... and now tough to catch in the NFC.

But with the toughest stretch of the season beginning on Thursday - the Cowboys' second-straight midweek tilt - Dallas has a chance to prove it belongs in the discussion of the best in the league. ... with another meeting with Philly around the bend.

https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/news...ace-toughest-schedule-playoff-eagles-seahawks

 

[Hawkeye0202]

What’s the earliest we can clinch a playoff spot?

MM once said as a rule you don't start planning for a playoff until your 10th win. Your I guess 10 wins unofficially lock you in a bit

 

[Risen Star]

Yeah we'd beat the Falcons and lose in the divisional round.

The same year over and over again.

 

[DallasEast]

Yeah we'd beat the Falcons and lose to the 49ers.

The same year over and over again.

 

[CCBoy]

MM once said as a rule you don't start planning for a playoff until your 10th win. Your I guess 10 wins unofficially lock you in a bit

This season, 10 wins now puts you into some slot to play in the playoffs for the NFC.

 

[CCBoy]

At least it's not the TV.

 

[Motorola]

What’s the earliest we can clinch a playoff spot?

Probably won't be until Week 16...the week leading up to XMAS.
Depends on what the NFC teams in playoff contention do over the next 3 weeks.

 

[joseephuss]

NFC South race really no different from last season.
2022 standings__
Tampa Bay won division stumbling to an 8-9 record; Carolina, New Orleans, Atlanta all finished one game behind going 7-10.
Division title basically decided the last week = final game.

Now - during 2023 ---
Falcons and Saints 5-6, Buccaneers 4-7.
Outside of vastly more starting experience...
is the Saints' combo of Derek Carr and Jameis Winston head and shoulders above -
Falcons' Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke;
Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask?

Mathematically, the Panthers can still win the division.

 

[JustChip]

This makes it look like we automatically get Philly if we win. Don't think that's true. If a lower-seeded wild card wins, that team would play Philly and we'd play the next highest-seeded team, likely San Fran. We could even get a home game if all the wild cards win and we are the highest-seeded wild card, although based on how Seattle performed against San Fran, we most likely would travel to San Fran. Could see Minnesota upsetting Detroit, though, which means the Vikings would head to Philly.

Honestly, it’s not inconceivable all 3 Wild Cards win in the bracket the OP shows. Dallas is clearly better than Atlanta, SF is clearly better than Seattle and Detroit is better than Detroit because of the QBs. But the later 2 are Division games and those can be a crapshoot. The least likely is Seattle beating San Fran.