NFC Playoff Pictures 2014-15: Scenarios and Standing Heading into Final Week

Just like that, the field of potential NFC playoff teams has shrunk to seven.

The heavy lifting is virtually done throughout the conference as the regular season reaches its inevitable conclusion. Only one team has a mathematical chance of still advancing to the playoffs.

While that doesn't sound like too much fun for the more casual fans, plenty of issues remain unresolved in the NFC.

NFC Standings

Team	W	L	T
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys	11	4	0
Philadelphia Eagles	9	6	0
New York Giants	6	9	0
Washington Redskins	4	11	0
NFC North
Detroit Lions	11	4	0
Green Bay Packers	11	4	0
Minnesota Vikings	6	9	0
Chicago Bears	5	10	0
NFC South
Carolina Panthers	6	8	1
Atlanta Falcons	6	9	0
New Orleans Saints	6	9	0
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	13	0
NFC West
Seattle Seahawks	11	4	0
Arizona Cardinals	11	4	0
San Francisco 49ers	7	8	0
St. Louis Rams	6	9	0

Playoff Picture

Breakdown

For the most part, the NFC is pretty much set. Five of the six playoff teams are already known, with the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers vying for the final spot. The two teams will meet in Week 17 to determine the winner of the NFC South.

No matter what, a losing team will not only make the playoffs this year, but it will also host at least one game. SB Nation's Brian Floyd also pointed out that the Falcons could potentially make the postseason despite finishing 1-9 outside of its division:

"

If the Falcons win the NFC South, they'll have run the table in the division … and gone 1-9 against everyone else.

— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) December 22, 2014"

You gotta love the NFL.

The South is one of three NFC divisions still up for grabs in Week 17. The Dallas Cowboys are the only team to have clinched a division title, having benefited from the Philadelphia Eagles' loss and following up with a win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16.

Jerry Jones has withstood heavy criticism in the past, and usually for good reason. Now, he deserves his share of the credit for Dallas' success.

ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon believes Jones' continued faith in Tony Romo is one of the biggest factors behind the Cowboys' NFC East title:

"

How many talking heads and sports radio hosts have hollered about Jones being a sentimental sucker for giving a veteran quarterback with one playoff victory a six-year, $108 million extension with $55 million guaranteed? Anyone have a problem with Tony Romo's contact at this point?

In a week when $127 million quarterback Jay Cutler watched from the Chicago Bears' bench, Romo completed 18 of 20 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns in a near-flawless performance against the Colts. As a result, Romo ranks atop the NFL's passer rating leaders, and the Cowboys are legitimately lobbying for him to be considered as an MVP candidate.

That's money well spent.

"

It will be interesting to see if Dallas can turn this late momentum into a sustained playoff run.

Three other teams clinched playoff spots this weekend but haven't yet won their respective divisions: the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.

The Lions and Packers play in Green Bay on Sunday to determine the NFC North champion.

One of the storylines leading up to the game will be the health of Aaron Rodgers. According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers quarterback injured his calf on Sunday and had a visible limp during the postgame news conference.

"Well, it's too early to give a 100% guarantee, but it would definitely take a lot to hold me out of that game," Rodgers said, per Silverstein.

It seems almost impossible that Rodgers would be absent for the Packers' most important game of the season, but if he's limited, it could be enough for the Lions to hand Green Bay its first home loss of 2014.

The other divisional battle is between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, who are first and second, respectively, in the NFC West. The Cardinals entered Week 16 in the division lead but walked away having watched the Seahawks usurp their place atop the standings.

Seattle is on an incredible run, properly summarized by this statistic from Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman:

The Seahawks are arguably the hottest team in the league at the moment, and most worrying for their opponents, they can capture home-field advantage in Week 17:

The idea of anybody going into CenturyLink Field and beating the Seahawks seems remote at the moment.

The NFC is mostly without drama heading into the final week of the regular season, especially with the NFC South the butt of many fans' jokes. Still, seeing which teams capture their respective division crowns and avoid the first round should provide more than enough entertainment.