2022 NFC Playoff Picture: Can The Eagles Soar All the Way to the Super Bowl

The Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers Have Already Secured Division Titles

Who Will Emerge Out of the Dreadful NFC South Division?

The Minnesota Vikings have already won the NFC North title and San Francisco has clinched the NFC West title. Let’s take a look at the rest of the 2022 NFC playoff picture.

The Philadelphia Eagles are the favorites to not only win the NFC East but secure the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

Somebody has to emerge out of the dreadful NFC South with Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8) leading Carolina and New Orleans by a game.

The Dallas Cowboys (11-4) have clinched a playoff spot as well with the New York Giants (8-6-1) not far away from doing the same.

Just like in the AFC, just four NFL teams are out of the playoffs heading into the final two weeks of the regular NFL season. When the season began, who would have thought two of those teams would be the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and the Arizona Cardinals?

Loss of Star Quarterback Hurts the Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles could have taken a major step towards winning the NFC East and wrapping up home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs with a win over division rival Dallas.

The Eagles almost pulled it off even with a shoulder injury sidelining quarterback and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts.

Check the updated NFL injury report

Getting tight end Dallas Goedert back was a huge bonus and now it remains to be seen when Hurts can return to the field.

The defense looked powerless at times to slow down the Dallas offense and this is not the time of the season for championship contenders to see holes appearing on the defensive side of the ball.

Philadelphia still has the edge over Minnesota and the San Francisco 49ers, to earn the top seed.

Something of note when looking at the 2022 NFC Playoff Picture, if Philadelphia does hold off Dallas, it would be the 18th season in a row without a team winning back-to-back NFC East titles.

Division Champions Looking for More

There was little resistance as the Minnesota Vikings won the NFC North and the San Francisco 49ers rolled to the NFC West title. Both teams are hoping for at least one more title – the NFC championship.

Receiver Justin Jefferson has led the surge for the Vikings. He is currently the front-runner for the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

There have been some ugly losses along the way. However, none of that matters if the Vikings put things together once the postseason starts.

San Francisco is on its third starting quarterback of the 2022 season with NFL injuries sidelining Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Brock Purdy, selected with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, looks fairly comfortable running the offense even with star receiver Deebo Samuel currently sidelined. Purdy is third in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds.

Having mid-season acquisition Christian McCaffrey to hand off and throw to doesn’t hurt and neither does being on the same team with perhaps the best defense in the NFL.

Going South?

In a word, the NFC South has been dreadful in 2022. No team deserves to make the playoffs. However, the rules dictate that one team out of the division has to not only make the playoffs, but also become one of the top four seeds in the NFC.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a one-game lead on Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints and a win against Carolina this weekend will be a huge step. If Carolina wins, the Panthers move into the driver’s seat.

“If the Panthers win it would be quite the story considering that Carolina traded away key offensive contributors McCaffrey and receiver Robbie Anderson. Interim head coach Steve Wilks has the Panthers playing like a playoff team after taking over for the fired Matt Rhule.”

New Orleans needs to win out and hope for some help to rise to the top of the division standings. First, the Saints will have to travel to Philadelphia and knock off the NFL-leading Eagles before facing Carolina in the regular-season finale.

Beasts of the East

The Eagles and Cowboys are not only in the playoffs, they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Something else to consider when looking at the 2022 NFC Playoff Picture, could the New York Giants and Washington Commanders join them in the postseason?

If the playoffs started today, they would be part of the field even if the NFL playoff spreads would likely have both of them listed as underdogs in their postseason openers.

Having all four teams in the division reach the postseason would be quite the turnaround. It wasn’t that long ago that the division winner took a losing record into the postseason.

The New York Giants have more margin for error than the Washington Commanders. Washington is 7-7-1 with the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions all having 7-8 records going into the final two weeks of the regular season.

The Giants would be well advised to take care of business against the struggling Indianapolis Colts with a Week 18 matchup looming against the Eagles.

“Washington faces the Browns this weekend before ending the regular season against Dallas.”

Seattle plays the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams and that could be the easiest schedule of the teams fighting it out for the final playoff berths.

Green Bay and Detroit face each other on the final day of the regular season. Before that matchup, Detroit plays host to the Chicago Bears with Green Bay at home against Minnesota.

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