Commanders' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Bracket Implications of Week 17
The Washington Commanders have already clinched the team's first winning season since 2016. They'll look to secure the franchise's first playoff bid with a win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football.
The Commanders have done a complete 180-degree turn with Dan Quinn as their head coach. The pairing of Jayden Daniels and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has the franchise heading in a completely new, competitive direction.
The question now becomes whether the Commanders can finish the job and maximize their playoff seeding to potentially make some noise.
As it stands, the Commanders have the seventh seed as the final team in the NFC field. A win will clinch their spot in the playoff field, but there are other results that can still either clinch a spot without a win or improve their chances to wind up with a better seed.
Let's take a look at the key games this weekend.
Panthers over Buccaneers
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The Commanders might not have to wait until Sunday night to punch their ticket into the postseason. A Carolina Panthers win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would clinch a playoff berth for Washington.
It doesn't make Sunday night's game irrelevant, but it does take some of the pressure off.
The Buccaneers record would fall to 8-8 on the season and leave them duking it out with the Atlanta Falcons for division supremacy in the NFC South.
The Panthers can't be counted out. They've proven that they are willing to play spoiler with a 36-30 overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals last week. Bryce Young is auditioning for his job next season and took good care of the football, throwing two touchdowns to zero interceptions.
Chuba Hubbard was most impressive, though. He had 25 carries for 152 yards and two touchdowns. That could be a problem against a Bucs defense that is middle-of-the-pack in rush defense this season.
The Bucs were on a hot streak in which they won four games in a row, but showed some vulnerability in a 26-24 loss to the Cowboys last week.
The Commanders will be hoping that they falter again to clinch a playoff berth before playing later on Sunday.
Cowboys over Eagles
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Let's start with the most improbably one as the Dallas Cowboys will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in a Sunday tilt at 1 p.m. ET.
An Eagles win would clinch the NFC East and entrench Philadelphia as the No. 2 seed in the field. That's not a great scenario for Washington. Winning the division could give them a much better playoff matchup and a home game where they have gone 6-2 on the season.
The Cowboys first game against the Eagles was not competitive. Dallas took one on the chin with the Eagles winning 34-6 in the middle of a five-game losing streak for the Cowboys.
Dallas has looked better in recent weeks, though. Even with Dak Prescott out of the lineup they have ralled to win four of their last five games and the only loss was 27-20 against the Bengals.
The Eagles will be looking to bounce back after their own loss. The Commanders' 33-30 win over the Eagles kept them in the division race and also knocked Jalen Hurts out of the game with a concussion.
The starting quarterback is still questionable for the game and backup quarterback Kenny Pickett was also on the injury list with a rib injury.
At the very least, Hurts has been on a modified practice schedule and that could be enough to give the Cowboys a fighting chance in an NFC East clash.
Vikings over Packers
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The Commanders might have beat the Eagles last week, but it's probably not a matchup they want to revisit in the first round of the playoffs.
Matchups are everything when it comes to the playoffs. Getting a good first-round matchup can be the difference between a deep playoff run and a one-and-done exit.
While Washington beat the Eagles last week, it's probably not a matchup they really want to revisit on Wildcard Weekend. The Commanders beat them by three points and that was only after Jalen Hurts was replaced by Kenny Pickett.
Playing a healthy Eagles team on the road is still not the move.
A road game against the Los Angeles Rams would be much better. That's why the race between the Commanders and the Packers for the sixth seed could be huge.
The Packers are currently the sixth seed with an 11-4 record. However, two losses to end the season would allow the Commanders to pass them and get the sixth seed. The Rams currently have the three-seed, but the Seahawks could still catch them.
Either way, playing the Rams, Seahawks or even the NFC South winner would be the best-case scenario for Jayden Daniels in his playoff debut.
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