NFL Playoff Picture 2020 Ranking wild-ca | general | Forum

The NFL is on the verge of succe sfully completing an entire regular season slate amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, an accomplishment Charles Barkley Jersey few believed the league could achieve. And as the month of December turns the midway corner into the back end of 2020, the playoff picture in the NFC is beginning to take form in a very real way. Things will get hot and heavy in the final three games, as division rivals clash and scrappy teams attempt to play spoiler to those who are desperately clinging to life, so strap on your seat belt and get ready for some exciting football as January approaches.But which teams in the NFC have the best chance of landing a wild card berth? After all, the league has expanded the number of teams allowed in by one per conference due to the pandemic and the fallout thereof, giving teams that would typically already be mathematically eliminated at this point a chance to finagle their way into the tournament.Here's a list of those who stand the best chance of grabbing an NFC wild card seat, ranked in order from "safe bet" to "um, good luck with that":1. Tampa Bay (8-5) has six rings.OK, now that we've gotten that out of the way — because it's exceedingly poignant and goes to his level of experience in both chasing down the postseason and performing when gets there (far more often than not) — let's also consider he has the in prime position to take a playoff seat in just his first year in Tampa. From there, take a gander at the weapons on offense and just how dominant the defense can be when firing on all cylinders, and it's difficult to fathom the Bucs not being the most likely team on this list to earn a wild card berth. Plus, their final three games are against losing teams — with two being against the now-eliminated . Atlanta will try desperately to play spoiler though, so Brady and the Bucs better be on their best behavior. Conference record: 5-4Strength of victory: .433Final three: at Falcons, at , vs. Falcons2. (9-4) cooking hasn't been as delicious lately.Make no mistake about it, Wilson is still one of the best in the busine s and, on any given day, will absolutely torch a scoreboard with weapons like D.K. Metcalf and , but he's been tasked with attempting to save the day far too often on the back end of the season — resulting in back-breaking mistakes. The problem is the Seahawks defense, a unit that is one of the worst in the league in 2020 and, as such, applies pre sure weekly to Wilson and the offense. Having split with the , however, and still in play for the NFC West division crown, all the Seahawks have to do is finish strong. That's easier said than done though, considering their final slate includes a battle with an improved WFT and the very they're Grant Hill Jersey attempting to track down. Conference record: 6-3Strength of victory: .380Final three: at WFT, vs. Rams, at 3. Arizona Cardinals (7-6)The red birds are beginning to fly again.They're not soaring like they were in the first half of the season though, having suffered three consecutive lo ses before finally grabbing their seventh win in Week 14 against the . Playing the NFC East could be the prescription for what ailed them, and they'll have a chance to string together wins when they host the in Week 15. It'll be and not under center, so the Cardinals flaming hot defense — hot off of a record-setting five sacks from linebacker — wants nothing more than to truly welcome Hurts to the NFL. If they can polish off the NFC East and escape a scrap with the 49ers with a W, they'll have a chance to potentially determine how the entire NFC West shakes out in Week 17, and that includes their own playoff fate. and could easily become must-see TV once again as the pre sure mounts.Conference record: 5-4Strength of victory: .429Final three: vs. Eagles, vs. 49ers, at Rams 4. (6-7)This is where things get curious in the NFC.From the Aron Baynes Jersey No. 4 position down on this board of rankings, it becomes a splitting of hairs to determine who has the best chance at a wild card spot, considering the remaining teams can all be almost equally promising on game day — or equally capable of steering the struggle bus. Of this Tier B group, the Vikings take the lead by virtue of and his newfound weapon, rookie wideout . That combines with the play of and to make for a formidable offense when it's clicking, but when it's not, the Vikings need their defense to become world-beaters. They've done so a time or two, but can they do it when it matters most and a playoff seat is on the line? It's time Dario Saric Jersey to find out.Conference record: 4-5Strength of victory: .385Final three: vs. , at , at Lions 5. Chicago Bears (6-7)Kudos to Matt Nagy for having his team in this discu sion, despite the QB i sues.From to and back to Mitchell Trubisky due to an injury to Nick Foles, the rollercoaster at the position has been far from fun for Bears fans, but the team is still 6-7 and could shake the table in the NFC — a suming the defense helps in a major way. Trubisky will make mistakes, and sometimes lots of them, so and Co. better be prepared to try and delete as many as they can by keeping opposing offenses out of the end zone. If Trubisky is forced to shoot it out with the Vikings or , it'll almost certainly be two lo ses hung on them in the final three games. Outside of the — now again led by a hungry — the Bears final stretch to come is a tough go, to say the least.Conference record: 5-5Strength of victory: .385Final three: at Vikings, at Jaguars, vs. Packers 6. New York Giants (5-8)Are the Giants better than the Bears? You sure? I'm not.Then again, I'm not sure they aren't, but that goes to my aforementioned point — in that these remaining teams are only a mole hair away from being dopplegangers as far as playoff potential goes. Let's demote New York just a bit here after seeing a le s-than-healthy get pummeled by the Cardinals en route to the team's eighth lo s, ending an impre sive four-game win streak that included a world-shocking upset over the Seahawks. It was who pulled the latter off, however, and if the Giants insist on trying to persist with Jones, despite his hamstring injury, their odds of landing a wild card spot (or retaking the top NFC East seat) dwindles very quickly (hence why the Bears are higher on this list). They'd Devin Booker Jersey do better to play McCoy against a Cleveland front that could easily take Jones' lunch, as could the in Week 16, so head coach Joe Judge has a verdict to declare at QB, and it better be the right one.Conference record: 5-5Strength of victory: .385Final three: vs. , at Ravens, vs. 7. Detroit Lions (5-8) is the lifeblood of the Lions, but he's hurting.Without Stafford, or without a healthy Stafford, the Lion