The NFC just got a lot more interesting after Thursday Night Football. The Los Angeles Rams had a lead for most of the game, but were not able to seal the deal. Seattle winning puts them at 12-3 on the season, and they now get to first place in the conference for the time being.
This really does make the NFC a lot more uncertain as the final few weeks of the regular season pass. There are some Wild Card teams that could be frisky in the playoffs, and with Seattle actually playing worse at home than away from it in the Mike Macdonald era, anything could happen.
Let's get into the updated NFC Playoff Picture following TNF in Week 16.
Updated NFC Playoff Picture following Rams-Seahawks Week 16 clash
(1) Seattle Seahawks
After their major comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks are now the no. 1 team in the NFC. If this holds, the Seahawks would get the first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Oddly enough, in the Mike Macdonald era, Seattle is actually more dominant playing away from home, but this was such a massive win.
(2) Chicago Bears
The NFC North-leading Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers in Week 16. The Bears are 10-4 and would host the Packers in the Wild Card Round if the playoff seeding remained the same. Chicago has had a stellar season under Ben Johnson.
(3) Philadelphia Eagles
Unless something major happens, the Philadelphia Eagles will win the NFC East and will host the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round. Philly doesn't have the bite that they had last year, so this is not a Super Bowl-caliber team. I would expect the Eagles to be an early exit in the postseason.
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are leading the NFC South but have to take care of business against the Carolina Panthers, who are also 7-7. Tampa is another NFC playoff team from 2025 that has regressed this year, and head coach Todd Bowles seems to be on the hot seat.
(5) Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have now lost their grip on the no. 1 seed in the NFC for the time being, dropping to 11-4 after blowing a double-digit fourth quarter lead to the Seattle Seahawks. While Matthew Stafford is still the MVP of the league, this loss does tell us a lot about LA since we're this late into the season. The Rams would travel to Tampa in the first round of the playoffs now.
(6) San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers have had an underrated season and could actually win out and earn the no. 1 seed in the NFC. I would not rule the 49ers out from making some sort of push, but the top-end roster talent isn't what is used to be, so I would not expect them to make a deep run.
(7) Green Bay Packers
As of now, the final NFC playoff team would be the Green Bay Packers. The Packers must get back on track in Week 16 with a win over the Chicago Bears, but they'll have to do so and play the rest of the season without Micah Parsons, who tore his ACL in their Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos.